


Textbook & Chill - gumlee

by ostrichboy, untitledreverb



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, BoyxBoy, Fluff and Humor, Gay, M/M, Teenagers, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2020-07-29 06:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 47,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20077810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ostrichboy/pseuds/ostrichboy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/untitledreverb/pseuds/untitledreverb
Summary: Marshall, a very rebellious teen who also happens to be failing most of his classes, is forced to get a tutor and he doesn't like it one bit.The only good thing he can make out of the situation is that said tutor is awfully cute.-human au,,(HI THIS STORY IS A COLLAB WITH OSTRICHBOY ON AO3)





	1. one

Chances were that if you weren't Marshall Lee then you probably didn't like him. He was overly comedic and loud, and he seemed like a waste of his good looks. His personality was overall terrible and he was always off task no matter what he was doing. Even when he was just writing his own name on a sheet of paper he stopped halfway and doodled instead.

That was exactly what got him into his current predicament and he wouldn't admit it but it was all totally his fault. He only had six classes total and he was failing 4 of them. His electives were pretty easy; musical arts and home economics proved no great feat for him since he was skilled in the things both of those classes taught. However, he simply hated his core classes and refused to do his work. Math and Science were the hardest because he hated anything involving numbers and calculations. Marshall had decided that if he couldn't actually drop out of those classes then he would just not do the work. Well, that was a splendid plan until he remembered that his report cards still come in the mail.

As soon as the teen walked through the door his father was shoving the piece of paper and yelling at him in his scary voice. He didn't even have a chance to take off his shoes and backpack before the middle aged man was taking away his phone and grounding him until further notice which he promptly whined about because that's what teens like Marshall do. "What are you doing that's so important that you can't even learn, Marshall?!" He was genuinely shocked at the loud sound of his dad's hand slamming down on the wall besides him. The report card was long abandoned and left on the hard floors.

"You don't even do anything! I pay for everything in this damn house, so I don't see why you can't just go to fucking school!"

Marshall understood his dad's anger, sure. But he was still upset about being grounded for something that could easily be fixed in a week or two. It wasn't that he was dumb or anything, because he certainly wasn't, but if he just passed a test he would be fine. The teachers were always on him about his grades and he sure as hell didn't want to be hearing the same crap from his family as well.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're upse-"

"You're damn right i'm upset!" Marshall flinched just a little.

"Can we just talk about this later, dad? I'm tired and honestly everything you're saying is just going through one ear and out the other..." Marshall really didn't feel like arguing at all. He just finished slipping his red converse off his feet and pushed past his father and towards the staircase before the adult in front of him could scold him any longer. He was exhausted and being screamed at had drained all his energy. He figured it was best to sleep to sleep now and deal with it later. Because that was such a Marshall thing to do.

As soon as the teen made it to his room he found himself plopping down on his bed and burying his face in his hands. A loud yawn made it's way past his lips even though some of his tiredness had disappeared while walking up the steps. He quickly rid himself of his pants and shirt, leaving himself in only a pair of batman boxers before slipping under his red blankets. He let out a tiny child like sneeze and then whispered to himself a small goodnight.


	2. two

"I hired a tutor."

Marshall spits out his fruit punch drink all over the table. He looks at his dad, who is wearing a scary frown, and he feels like his life has been split into two terribly unequal parts. It's been a few days since the whole report card incident and not only is he still phoneless but his father still wont let it go. This-- the whole tutor thing-- is the icing on the cake. Old, expired icing on top of an old and expired cake.

Marshall cleans up the juice all over the shiny surface using a paper towel before he faces his dad with a begging look. He seriously doesn't want a tutor; he can come up with 10 reasons why he shouldn't have one off the top of his head. He doesn't think his dad will truly take his feelings into consideration but he still voices his opinion anyway.

"What? Please don't. I have the attention span of a semi-colon, and they'll just quit when they see how dumb I _actually_ am..." He tries.

Marshall's dad just shakes his head and gives Marshall a serious look. One that says loud and clear 'it's decided'. The younger male just slumps in his seat crosses his arm. 'Unbelievable...' Marshall thought to himself and finished drinking the rest of the kool-aid in his cup.

The word tutor bounces around in Marshall's head for the rest of the evening. He tries eating, binge watching, playing guitar, and even arts and crafts to distract him from the fact that his dad actually is willing to pay someone to help him graduate. He thinks it's a nice gesture-- not exactly a welcomed one but whatever. Marshall does feel a bit bad for disappointing his family yet again, but it's not his fault that his dad has such high standards for him. School and living up to expectations have both always been something Marshall is bad at.

He finished gluing down the last glittery red heart to a piece of black construction paper and wrote his name (OR HALF OF IT) in the middle using white crayon. He didn't even know how or why they had so many art supplies at home but he didn't care because he was having fun. 

Of course, his dad had to come and ruin that too.

"Aren't you a bit too old to be making valentines day cards in April?" The older male chuckled and set down his cup of tea before also taking a seat next to his son. Marshall was still very upset about his grounding so he just gave a lazy shrug and went back to dripping the dry clear glue all over the places he wanted to stick tiny jewels around his name.

"Well, I thought that you should know that I have thought a bit about what you said earlier..." That peaked Marshall's interest. Did his dad cancel and get a refund? Was he giving back his phone? Was he finally allowed to play video games again? "I decided that maybe it would be better to have someone your age come instead. That way you'll have a bit more fun..."

"I'll be having plenty of fun if you just hire no one at all..."

"Oh stop it, Marshall. You need this, he's a good kid, and you'll be meeting him tomorrow evening. It's perfect!"

What a surprise! Marshall quirked a single eyebrow and scoffed, letting his dad know that he was not impressed. At all. Very disappointed with his father's actions, honestly. The teen snatched up his love letter to himself, the tube of red glitter and his paper scraps before heading towards the staircase with full arms. The glue was still wet and so some of it smeared onto his flannel but he was too 'upset' to care.

Marshall was absolutely sure that he was being over dramatic and rude. In fact, he wasn't even dreading it as much as he had been 30 minutes ago. Having someone his age tutoring him meant someone would understand spontaneous his jokes. It also meant that his house wouldn't have to smell like old people and pencil shavings. However, Marshall was still reluctant and was still telling himself that he could hide out in his room or in the closet or something, so he yelled from the top of the stairs:

"If you know how I feel why would you say that? Like you put me in such an uncomfortable situation like you know i'm not happy, you know i'm trying!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi !! and thank you to everyone who read chapter one <3 i'm not very picky with it so even if it was just one of you i'd be satisfied (hearteye4you)  
i hope this was okay. i apologize for the filler, the next chapter is when the story REAAAALLY sTARTS!
> 
> on a totally unrelated note;   
one time by justin bieber is really good.


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> marshall's dad has officially been named matthew bc according to google it sound like marshall o-o i aint wanna admit that he was nameless before i might go edit his name in the other chapters...

Marshall was starting to get upset.

"It's not a big deal." His dad said calmly as he changed the radio station. "Just one meeting to get to know each other and then you're done for the day."

Marshall knew nothing could ever be that simple for him. It was upsetting for him because he knew at least one thing would go wrong, and he wouldn't be able to get over it for as long as he was still a teen. The anger of getting a tutor had diminished in his sleep and now all that was less was a rather deep sense of dread surrounding today. He was more worried that maybe this guy wouldn't like him, or maybe that he wouldn't like the guy and they'd be stuck together for a month. What if this new guy didn't get his spontaneous jokes? What if he was still unable to pass his classes after it was all over?

He had a lot of things on his mind but he had no time to think about it as his dad was already parked in front of the library. Everything became a blur outside of the old looking building that was littered with book fair posters. People entered and exited carrying books and other smart looking things. Marshall didn't think he belonged in a place like this; he was dressed in a band tee and black pants, along with a flannel and his regular red sneakers. His hair was it's usual mess. He wished he could go home and throw on a sweater or something to make him look smarter than he felt. It was obvious that he was obviously stupid.

"Look for room 1012. See ya later, kiddo." Marshall nodded and got out of the silver car and closed the door after him. He waved his dad a quick goodbye before he watched him drive off, ultimately leaving Marshall alone in unfamiliar nerd territory. He walked up the long staircase leading to the library and as soon as he passed through the doors he was met with a chill breeze. Obviously there were tons of books-- although it really wasn't as quiet or empty as people made it seem like it usually was or should be.

Marshall wandered around for a while before he found the place he was looking for. He stopped to look at books for the first time in at least 3 years, although it was for the sole purpose of wasting time, and he didn't even feel sick to his stomach after reading a good page or two. He made a mental note to come back and check out a cool book called 'how to play 200+ rockin' songs on guitar! : kids edition'. Marshall considered himself childish enough to fit into that age 8-12 bracket. But unfortunately he had things to attend to so he shoved the book where he found it and gathered up the courage to step through the door leading into room 1012. 

It was still empty inside and all there was to see was one large table and a few chairs. There was a white board that had ' BRB !! <3 ' written on it in a bold pink color. Marshall had assumed his tutor had taken a quick trip else where so he just sat down in a random spot and spun in his chair until he got dizzy. He hummed lyrics to himself to pass the time faster. Before he knew it 5 minutes had passed and he was still a but nauseous.

"Good evening," The greeting was accompanied by the sound of a closing door and a small thud. Marshall looked up quickly and was faced with his new tutor. Marshall peeked to his sides just to make sure that the voice he was hearing only belonged to the person in front of him. It certainly didn't sound like it.

"Hey?"

"You must be Marshall Lee?" The pink haired boy said as he extended his hand for the other teen to shake. "I'm Bonnibeau. Or Gumball, whichever is easier."

"Um.. got it." Marshall furrowed his eyebrows and gave a confused look before he finally reached to properly shake hands with this new guy, Gumball or Bonnibeau, whichever is easier. He pulled away quickly and tucked his hands in his pockets and watched intently as Gumball sat in his seat located across from Marshall. He didn't actually notice Gumball's features until everything had settled and went quiet again.

Gumball was fair skinned and had a few freckles scattered across his dusty cheeks and the bridge of his nose, which was shamefully cute. He had these blue eyes that reminded Marshall of the ocean, and they were so bright that he could see them shining even in the dim lighting of the room. He had a nice jawline too and Marshall had plenty of time to fantasize about stroking the shape of it. Gumball had the facial features of a girl kind of, his curly pink hair only making it stand out more, but he was also really manly in a sense. He was just the right amount of both. Marshall blushed thinking about how pretty he actually was when he really thought about. He tried to shake the thought of his attractive tutor away from his mind but failed.

"I like your shirt," The pink haired teen said suddenly with a smile that left Marshall heart eyed. His heart even skipped a little bit because Marshall was very unused to being alone in the same room with someone so attractive. Gumball's smile was not helping his sudden (slight) crush either so he just ducked his head to hide his rose colored cheeks until the warmth had disappeared.

"Why don't you tell me some of your interests, Marshall Lee."

Marshall was surprised to find that Gumball was actually interested in his long rant about things he loved. Usually people would stop listening to what came out of his mouth after a minute of band references had passed but Gumball was fully engaged the whole time, his hands in his lap and eyes looking at Marshall in a way that made him glad he was sitting down. He was also happy to find that they did share some common interests, and he learned a bit about Gumball too-- like the fact that he also liked radiohead, had blond hair underneath all that dye and there was also the tiny fact that he played piano. He agreed to record an audio clip for Marshall if the dark haired boy had managed to get his grades up by two weeks. That gave Marshall a bit of motivation. The two agreed on meeting days, established a goal and then they talked a bit more about the things they liked.

Marshall was content with his meeting with Gumball when their time was up though he still didn't want to say goodbye just yet. But he was also aching to get home to his bed because he was tired and he didn't think he could go without making a weird joke if he didn't leave soon. Marshall was stoked to share his jokes after the two had gotten more familiar; for once he didn't want to chase someone off with his quirkiness. They day went better than he thought it'd go and maybe if he didn't act like a klutz then it would keep going that way until this whole thing was over.

Gumball waved Marshall a sweet goodbye that was followed by a slightly dimpled smile. Marshall watched the boy walked off past the numerous book shelves before he went to call his dad from the library phone. 

What a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im rich but my ac broke ;} plot twist marshall already in love <333 jk but i have finally introduced my baby so how yall feel cause im goodt ! 
> 
> if u see this have a nice day/night (night for me)  
comment any mistakes ~


	4. four

"I'm telling you, Fi, he's a total heartthrob!" Marshall shrieked in a slightly hushed voice before taking a bite of his apple. The blonde girl nodded and held her chin as if she was thinking real hard about something, but Marshall knew she was just mocking him for his tiny adoration for his new tutor. Her eyes sparkled before going big and then she asked a very important question.

"Is he like Zac Efron heartthrob? Or Harry Styles heartthrob?" She asked and Marshall almost dropped his apple so he could tug out his hair with so much force that his scalp would become numb. He could feel his cheeks blushing as he tried to come up with a more accurate description for the kind of hot Gumball was. Marshall shook his head and said very quietly as if it was the most sacred secret ever,

"No, he's like..."

"--Well I can't really describe it but just know that Flame looks homeless compared to him." Fionna let out a laugh at that which made many people turn their attention to the two teens. Marshall wanted to yell at people for staring but he couldn't really say anything about it since he did it himself all the time. Instead he made a disgusting face, sticking out his tongue between two of his fingers and just being generally gross. That got everyone (almost) to stop being nosey so he was pretty satisfied in the end.

The two teens didn't talk about Gumball anymore after that but trust that was all that was going on in Marshall's mind. He couldn't get the pink locks and those beautiful blue eyes away from his thoughts for even a second, which really sucked because the two wouldn't be meeting again until next Monday came rolling back around. Marshall was so desperate to be taught if Gumball was the one doing the teaching-- he'd learn until he was Albert Einstein Jr. or something.

Lunch was just about to end when Marshall finished his third apple for the day. he tossed the finished fruit into the compost bin just as the bell dismissed him from the large cafeteria. He went to class rather eagerly, Gumball's promise still sitting in the back of his mind and this time he wasn't late to his 4th period class. He was somewhat surprised at how the semi-stranger was having such a positive impact on his school life already. But then again he wasn't because someone like that (Gumball) could get Marshall to do anything.

"On time today, mister Lee?" The old lady inquired with an undeniable smirk on her face. Marshall was tempted to go loiter in the halls just to wipe that grin off her wrinkly face but he didn't, instead decided on taking a seat in the first row and pulled out his notebook and pencil eagerly. He hasn't taken notes in more than 4 months, and he doesn't even know which subject this class teaches but he pays perfect attention to the board and the raspy words coming out of Mrs. Tree's dry mouth. The teacher was just as surprised as he was and she even gave him a green apple jolly rancher which he threw at some poor kid as soon as she turned her back.

The rest of the teen's classes go exactly the same and Marshall is proud to say that he can now tell the difference between exponents and multiplying. Sure, it cost him his dignity and it meant that he didn't get to make as many jokes as he would've liked to but it was the success after the struggle he supposes. Next week he'll be back in business though because this definitely wasn't the lifestyle for him.

Marshall is happy when the final bell of the day rings above his head. It's loud and obnoxious but Marshall forgets about it and instead focuses on getting out of class without being trampled. He finds his locker and retrieves his belongings so that he can meet Fi outside of the school gates as usual. It's just routine for him now since the two have been walking home together since freshman year considering she lives across the street from him. He's also excited to tell her about his productive day and maybe he wants to show her his neat notes but it's whatever. He surprises her by slinging his arm around her shoulder with a big smile. She smiles back and nudges him away before they start walking.

"You know, I didn't even know you were gay..." The blonde suddenly says in a small voice. Marshall shrugs. He not entirely gay. Probably bi, because he likes guys and girls, but only TV girls who are fictional characters. Still, he's not totally opposed to the idea of tits-- for now he's bi. Though Gumball could quickly change him into a new boy. A new boy who was strictly dickly.

"I mean, it shouldn't be a huge surprise even if I was gay, I look like a twink." Marshall breathed out the last part and shoved his hands into his pockets. Fionna just looked confused and looked up at Marshall with her scary beady eyes. Marshall looked down at her to meet her gaze as well, which was much more down than he had realized, and let out a laugh.

"Honestly," The teen giggled. "I'm gumball-sexual" He said wiggling his brows.

"Oh my glob-- you just-- shut up!"

"Does your dad know?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need this process to speed up already so i can write the fluff already damn. longer chaps it is :- |  
well not that many chapters until the real gumlee starts ;} thanks to my baby ostrich for helping me correct this even though it's 7 AM .......  
-comment any mistakes !  
-comment in general !


	5. five

Today was a very special Monday. 

Marshall's first actual meeting with Gumball, to be exact, and Marshall was practically jumping off the walls already. He wouldn't tell his dad why he had a sudden burst of energy upon arriving home from school-- he also didn't mention his newfound affection for Gumball as he was sure that the outcome of that would only be negative. He couldn't hide his beaming personality whenever his father decided bring it up though, so the older male was bound to catch on eventually.

The teen slipped on a red hoodie in place of his flannel because the forecast called for rain and he hated getting his hair wet. He also left his guitar on it's stand instead of bringing it with him considering he was going to a library for the next two hours. Marshall freshened up just a bit to get rid of the smell of gym on his body as well. He kicked around a few stray clothes on his bedroom floor before he grabbed his backpack and ran down the steps again.

"What time is it?" Marshall asked, reaching to grab his dirty red shoes from their usual, out of order spot in front of the door. He slipped on the old sneakers quickly and tied them tight with a very large grin on his face.

"Uh," Matthew looked up from whatever he was doing and looked over at the watch on his wrist, "Just about time for you to gone on your little adventure..."

He nodded and was just about ready to leave out when he heard his name being called. Marshall rolled his eyes at his dad and threw his hands up into the air. "I'm gonna be late because you you!"

"God, you're eager... I just thought you might want your phone back."

Marshall shook his head, yelling out a 'later loser!' before dashing out of the door. At first he really didn't feel like walking all the way to the library because it was like 7 blocks away but Marshall found himself running halfway there in the end. His bag was suddenly heavy against his back and he could only hope he wasn't starting to sweat through his hoodie. Marshall's legs carried him as far as he could go, and then he slumped and let out harsh breaths the entire rest of the way. He got there 5 minutes faster, though, which meant he could see his new favorite person sooner too. So even if his lungs felt like a deflated bouncy house, he didn't mind it because again, Gumball.

Marshall was a little ashamed to admit that the only reason he was actually showing up to these lessons to get tutored was because he had a kiddie crush on the guy helping him out. He felt stupid for even thinking about Gumball like that because as far as Marshall knew they had a pretty standard tutor and tutoree relationship and the pink haired boy was just being friendly and doing his job. he was probably only tolerating Marshall because he was getting paid for it which just made it even worse.

Marshall almost died walking up the many steps leading to the front doors. It was worth it though because as soon as he passed through the doors-- and it was disgusting-- but the feeling of the building's AC and his sweat made him feel extra cool. He cooled off for a minute before he wiped away the wetness on his forehead, and started walking towards the room which he would be actually studying in with Gumball for the first time. Gumball was already waiting for him at the familiar table and he seemed to be completely engaged in a crosswords puzzle to the point where he didn't even notice the taller male enter the room.

The pale teen watched for a little. He just let himself take in the image of Gumball focusing on the words in front of him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed and biting his bottom lip as he thought to himself. Marshall felt a bit creepy for watching him and not saying anything, but every time he told himself that he _should_ say something he felt like staying quiet again.

However Marshall also secretly enjoyed the startled expression Gumball made after he realized that he was no longer the only person in the room. Marshall watched with a faint smile playing on his lips as Gumball's cheeks turned a bright color and his mouth fell open slightly to let out a quiet, "hey,"

Marshall let out a quiet laugh to himself before replying, "hey yourself, pinky." and took a seat.

After a few minutes of small talk and some unnecessary movie references from Marshall the two decided to start with math first. Marshall practically had an F minus in that class and Gumball insisted on fixing the grades that were the worst first. Marshall tried to explain to Gumball that there was no hope since he couldn't even do long division without messing up yet. The two then argued about the use of calculators for another 5 minutes before ending up where they were now.

Marshall was beyond flustered by now. Gumball had moved from his spot across the table and instead sat in the chair right next to Marshall's. Gumball had insisted that it was a lot easier to help if he could actually see the problem, and Marshall agreed with that but he was embarrassed. Every time he would reach over to help Marshall with a question the sweet smell of vanilla made Marshall want to wrap himself into the boy and never leave, and he was silently hoping Gumball didn't think he was as much of a creep as Marshall thought he was. He could barely focus as he was too busy trying to keep his hormones under control.

"What the fuck? Is that a musical note?" Marshall furrowed his brows and tapped his mechanical pencil against the hard surface of the table. The eraser on it was already running out due to his constant mistakes and he felt like soon Gumball's patience would run out as well.

"I'm confused..." The pink haired boy said as he looked at the paper and then at Marshall who was clearly stressed. "But it's okay! This kind of math is actually really tricky, so I get it!"

"I must be dumb." 

"You're not dumb, Marshall. You just need a little extra help and that's totally okay. We'll just take a break and come back to it a little later, yeah?" Gumball gave Marshall an empathetic and sad smile, remembering the times when he wasn't so good at math either. It took months of studying way past his bed time, but it was worth it in the long run. He had faith that Marshall could get better at it too if they just went at a nice pace and learned everything in bits. 

"Y-yeah okay."

-

After about 5 minutes of calming down and self reassuring Marshall felt better. 

"I'm ready to try this again, pinky."

Marshall definitely struggled less than the first time he tried to solve the equation. The jittery feeling in his mind caused by the numbers was now gone and he was focused just enough to take his mind off of Gumball's burning and beautiful presence which made him feel undeniably lighter. The pink haired boy was quiet beside him and only spoke whenever Marshall had a question. Besides that, the only sound in the room was coming from the people on the other side of the door.

About an hour later Marshall was able to complete half of his missing math homework and his given homework from today. He was more than relieved when Gumball said he could be done solving math problems for the day.

"You finally got the hang of it!" Gumball smiled at Marshall as the two went over the math problems together. A lot of them were right but some were still wrong. The math was pretty okay though, so Gumball showed Marshall how to correct the small mistakes he had made. He was happy to see that Marshall was at least trying. His report card showed very nicely that he rarely did, so Gumball was a bit happy to see that he had at least tried today. 

"It's only because you've been practically shoving the answers in my face..." Marshall said and shook his head. "I'm really useless at this."

"It's okay to not be good at math, Marshall, but don't put yourself down." Gumball moved a strand of Marshall's dark hair out of his face to catch his attention. They made eye contact, just blue facing brown, and part of him wanted to hug Marshall tight because he could tell he was starting to beat himself over it. The last thing he wanted was for Marshall to get stressed out over this whole thing as the goal was to help him learn things so that he wouldn't be stressed out over not knowing it. So, he just said all that he had on his mind.

"I think you're very smart. I think you're pretty cool too, and that you're adorable when you're trying your best. I_ know_ that you'll be able to solve all of these in just a matter of time and if you don't that's what i'm here for. 

I believe in you, I really do, so don't let me down by not believing in yourself."

And even if those words were a little rushed, they made Marshall smile and blush.  
most of all, they made Marshall's day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was supposed to update like two days ago but then my laptop keyboard was absolutely fucked so i had to use my mums and i don't need her to bully me because of my addiction to hot vampire boys ok.
> 
> also hello hello THE NEWS! the gumlee is startinggngngngngng
> 
> comment any mistakes & i'll fix em' :}


	6. six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this update is sooo late and we apologize. my keyboard is fucked so i got lazy and decided to binge watch supernatural instead. then i finally gathered up the brain cells days later and i just decided to write this tiny chappie on my mummas computer :}   
thank you sm ary baby for helping !

Indeed it rained long and hard. 

Marshall came home soaked. his hoodie was drenched in rain water, his textbooks probably soiled even though his bag was waterproof, and his hair dripping from the spiked ends caused by the water. Despite all of that and the gross feeling of having wet jeans on Marshall was still grinning like an the idiot he was.

He was quick to change out of his wet clothes, having a quick shower as well before he joined his father downstairs again. Matthew seemed to be caught up in some phone call-- a seemingly important one as he still hasn't turned away to greet his son yet. Marshall just grabbed a strawberry pop tart and settled down at his usual spot at the table. He thought about Gumball for a long time, the filling reminding Marshall of him deeply before the teen took a bite out of the flavorful pastry. He was still smiling even after he finished eating both treats and all Marshall could think was _gumballgumballgumball_. 

It was weird, liking someone he barely knew, but Marshall already knew what kind of person Gumball was at least. He was a lot more kind, and he was very humble, actually. Gumball was thoughtful which contributed to his smartness, and he was the kind of person who used his knowledge to help instead of using it for something morally wrong. Marshall was fond of his creativity too; he really liked how Gumball had a look and personality that you really didn't see all that often. It was really rare to come across such a cool person-- Marshall didn't know how he got so blessed. It was easy to see why the raven haired male liked him as more than just a tutor.

Another 10 minutes later Matthew was done with his phone call, and the middle aged man was eager to find out what had his son giving off the same expression as a circus clown. He grinned and turned his attention away from his device.

"You're so happy, i'm assuming it went great? Unless you found a million dollars, in that case please share." Marshall shook his head at his dad with a playful grin and played with the piece of hair that was somehow still tucked behind his ear from earlier.

"It was good. I was good, I mean. I didn't even make an inappropriate joke today," He snorted, "I liked it... a lot... which is cool I guess..."

"There must've been something awfully interesting in that book of yours keeping you engaged," Matthew wiggled his brows which earned a playful groan from Marshall. The teen boy fidgeted with his fingers for a while, not saying anything else before deciding that he had to tell someone about a special someone before he exploded. 

"First off, that's nasty. A textbook will be interesting to me when JFK is un-assassinated. Second, I might actually like studying now because my dad decided to get me the hottest, nicest tutor on the whole face of the earth and I am a teenage boy, for Satan's sake, didn't you consider my feelings?"

Marshall was genuinely starting to think that his dad set him up as he sat across the table with a dumbfounded look on his face. The room got quiet and Marshall just stared at his dad who was staring at Marshall because he was staring at him. Marshall blinked, and only then did Matthew spoke. "You're talking about your tutor, Bonnibeau, right?" Marshall nodded very slowly. "So... you have a crush on your tutor?"

The two talked about the subject for a while longer. Marshall was also granted back his phone, which was of course void of any battery life and looked thoroughly snooped through. He took his legs and his device and carried himself up the stairs as he tried not to trip. Marshall was happy when he saw his bed. The batman comforter had been messily sprawled across the mattress and he plopped down onto the soft piece of heaven and let out a low moan of content. It'd be a lot better if Gumball was here with him right now, he thought to himself, but that was just a tiny draft in his mind as he found himself drifting off fast. It was only five or six in the evening but he was tired and so was his heart as it had beating rapidly all day long. First running, which tired him out physically, and then the whole fiasco with Gumball tired him out mentally but also had him thrumming with life for a bit. Soon, the teen was tangled between the superhero blanket and letting out light snores.

His dad came and tucked him in properly at around 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you read the beginning note that explains why this is back to shorter :{ i didn't have much time on the computer to type so I just had to get the important stuff in at least.   
Well, matt knows about marshall's crush U3U TIME FOR TEASING AND FLUFF ABAHAHAHABAHAAB  
\- comment any mistakes -


	7. seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit gettin lit  
btw stream BMO by ari lennox

Marshall had finally gotten sick.

It was inevitable, after so many years of avoiding the common cold and all of it's plague like symptoms. Running home in the cold rain must've been what set the alarms in his immune system off because now he was curled up in bed feeling awfully pathetic and freezing cold- more so than usual. His limbs were utterly useless at the moment and pretty much all he could do was cough, sneeze and occasionally cry, but all of those things produced a dull ache in his chest that he'd rather avoid.

His dad insisted that he stay home and rest until he got better, to which Marshall replied, "No freaking way, dad. I gotta go or else my grades will drop back down!" in a raspy voice that just further proved Matthew's point. Marshall had worked pretty damn hard this passing week to get his math grade up to a C+ which was just over the line of passing and he would hate for it to drop back down. The teen had begged and begged until he couldn't talk anymore but he knew it was pointless when his dad reappeared carrying water and cold & flu medicine. Of course, it was the disgusting kind that tasted like poisoned grapes because his dad thought that the worst it tasted the better for you it was. Marshall was forced to swallow the nasty syrup and he didn't even bother complaining-- just plopped his head back down on his soft pillow and closed his eyes to soothe his headache.

"I called and let your tutor know that you weren't going to make it this week..." Marshall started to freak when he remembered about his meetings with Gumball. He had no clue how long he'd be out for and the last thing he wanted was to be missing out on any time they had together. Sure, learning was mentally draining but he had already been waiting for days, and it wasn't like he got to see someone so pretty everyday...

"He was okay with it?" He inquired, using all the strength in his wobbly arms to prop himself up. He pushed his matted fringe out of his sight and just listened.

Matthew nodded quickly and started fumbling with his hands, "He asked if you were okay... so I kinda told him that you were really sick and he was really worried about you so THEN I told him that it was okay if he came over instead... Cause' you didn't want to miss out on any learning, and then that would be your excuse to hang out or something I don't know..." His dad paused for a breath, "But he doesn't have to come over if you don't want him to!"

"It's o-cool man,"

Matthew nodded quickly, glad that Marshall wasn't mad at him but still feeling like maybe he shouldn't have been nosy about Marshall's feelings for the boy. It was just a good feeling when he saw his son being productive for once, and if Gumball was the one to inspire that then whatever.

"He said he's stop by after school was out, so at around 3 or 4?" Marshall nodded.

"Right. Oh, and dad?" Marshall rolled over and let out a deep breath into his pillow. 

"I'm helping you clean your room. I know, kiddo."

-

Sure enough, Gumball came running out of the school at around 3:30 PM, just getting out of an after school study session with some guys from his class and he wasn't wasting any time. Okay- he did waste like 5 minutes but that's only because he had stopped at the store to buy Marshall something to snack on or drink or anything. He had no clue what they guy liked to eat, so he just picked out what literally everyone loves and hoped for the best.

He arrived at the home just before 4 o'clock came rolling around the corner and when Matthew opened the door he got a whole lot of preppy school boy. Gumball was still dressed in his uniform and his usual curly pink hair was styled to his fit school's guidelines but not so much that he looked like some poster boy. His freckles stood out just a little bit more after a spending a few days in the sun this week, and finally Marshall's dad could understand why Marshall liked this guy. He'd never actually seen Gumball before in real life so he was a bit surprised to see the somewhat stranger on his doorstep for real.

Gumball greeted him politely, shaking his hand firmly and introducing himself formally and respectfully. The two talked a little bit about Marshall too-- mostly Gumball telling Matthew all about how his son was just so great. He only chuckled and smirked because he knew exactly how badly Marshall would be blushing if he heard his crush praise him like that. He kind of talked about Marshall like he was a god, but Matthew was happy to hear only good things.

After that Matthew showed him to the correct room and then he left the two alone. Gumball knocked on the door and called out to his friend, but he didn't make a move to enter until he got an okay. The door swung open and Marshall stood there in all of his sick glory, looking like utter shit with dark circles and a faint smile. Still, Gumball thought he was handsome and great and he pulled the pale boy into a loose hug so that he didn't hurt him. 

"I bought you something," Gumball said after stepping into the room. "I didn't know what you liked so I hope this is okay..." Marshall nodded with a sloppy smile and took the snacks with pleasure.

"Thanks, man. I've kinda been living off of cough syrup for the past few hours."

"Oh, Marshall! That's terrible!" Marshall allowed himself to be pulled into the kind of hug that you'd get from your granny or some kind old lady on the street after helping her carry her bags. He thought 'If this is what I get when i'm sick, I'm only leaving the house when it rains!' and then after that he shut his thoughts off and inhaled the sweet vanilla scent of Gumball. Everything was warm and soft and Marshall felt like he was floating long after Gumball had let go and dropped the joke. He plopped back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how the hell he fell so hard for someone he met only a few weeks ago.

They talked a little bit more and Marshall mostly ranted about how boring school was when you were actually trying to graduate. He told a few jokes here and there but it was awkward because he had to stop sometimes to cough-- Gumball didn't mind though as he simply laughed at the crude jokes and just watched Marshall and kind of admired him for the first time outside of anything school related. They talked and laughed and there was that time where there was just silence and Gumball and Marshall just laid sprawled out on the bed as the sun slowly set outside. After about 10 minutes of silence had passed, both boys decided they were hungry and that's how the quiet ended. 

"I can order you a pizza if you'd like? You can't take medicine on an empty stomach, Marshall," Gumball quirked an eyebrow and Marshall practically burst in happiness!

"God, yes! Order me a pizza and i'll do anything you want!" He said happily out in a faded and slightly damaged voice.

"It's a deal," the two shook on it. "when you get better i'll be taking you up on that. but for now, what kind of pizza do you like?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry! I really have no explanation for not updating besides school. but i won't say that because you guys deserve someone who can balance their life okay. this was aLL OVER THe place but anyways P I Z Z A.  
ALSO- if you have wattpad you should go follow me on there @slut-vamps because i'll probably post other stories on there since it's less confusing honestly. Im gonna update on both sites still, but wattpad will have quicker updates once i get all the chapters up!  
-cmmnt any mistakes :}-


	8. eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bahaha filler and i oop sksksksks save da turdles lemme go get me birkenstonks

"You're insufferable, Marshall Lee," Gumball says with a snicker, pushing away the taller male who's desperately trying to shove pizza into Gumball's mouth with a grin. They're having a contest to see who can eat the most slices and so far Gumball is winning because he's being force fed, and Marshall is just waiting to see him rolling around on the floor in pain. It's already bad enough that they drank a whole 2 liter bottle of soda, but Gumball is just a bit frail and if he eats too much he'll either explode or throw it all up later.

"Just helpin' you out, g-ball." Marshall laughs and instead eats the slice himself.

"G-ball? I've never been called that before. Leave it to Edward Cullen to give me a weird nick name-" Marshall scoffs at Gumball's reference, suddenly wishing his skin would tan even a tiny bit or he'd become just slightly less emo. It's not the first time he's been called that stupid human desiring vampire, but it was only slightly amusing to think that Gumball thought he looked like him as well.

"I see no resemblance between us two," The teen says and smirks, "Leave it to Willy Wonka to come up with something totally ridiculous..."

Surprisingly, Gumball laughs at that, which makes Marshall chuckle just slightly. He also blushes a bright pink color which is very noticeable against his usual pale skin, and when the pink haired boy stops rolling around on the floor he notices the color in Marshall's cheeks and just sits.

But the two can never 'just sit'. After a few minutes of silence it had become a nonverbal staring contest, and Gumball refused to lose to some blood sucking vamp wannabe and Marshall refused to listen to some daddy issue having candy factory owning loser. 

-

"Give up already, please, I beg of you" Marshall wiped away the tears welling in his eyes the best he could without blinking, and Gumball lets out a small sob from the burning in his eyes. The two have been staring into each other for so long that Gumball has memorized the maple brown color of Marshall's eyes by heart, and it's actually kind of pretty which is mainly the reason why he has yet to blink. Marshall is practically leaking tears by now but he refuses to give up as well.

"No way, loser. You did this to-to yourself-"

"Me? Loser? You're crying. Do it for us both, Edward."

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"Yes! Okay, fuck!" 

They both blink at the same time, and Gumball collapses into his taller friend and they cry together and suffer the pain as friends.

"I-I think our bond has strengthened..."

Marshall coughs, and sniffles a bit before smiling, "Yes indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall i lied this was not a filler this meme of an upload was actually important B-) AND IT SUCKDT what happened to me oh god im falling apart but im gonna make another story to mask the pain wait


	9. nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen to kiss me kiss me by 5SOS and 24/7 by the neighbourhood or you eat booty flakes

“Is this the right answer?” Marshall asks and shows his paper to Gumball with a worried expression, hoping that he won’t have to redo the problem for the third time today. He’s very let down when he gets another ‘nope’ in return and he almost gives up because doing homework with no help is a lot harder than he’d thought it’d be. Marshall slightly regrets asking Gumball not to help him or give him any answers.

He scribbles out the equation and tries again, focusing his hardest to remember all the steps.

“How about now?”

“You’re missing a variable in your final answer,” The pink haired boy turns from his own textbook and faces Marshall who is just about ready to give up. He feels just a little sad as he watches Marshall try his hardest to get it right and still not get it, so he goes against the older male’s wishes and helps him anyway. “You have to cancel the 4x first, then you can divide...”

“You’re freakin’ kidding me? I was so close!”

“Trial and error. One step at a time, Marshall.” Gumball replies with a small smile and looks away before he can receive one of Marshall’s incredibly stupid facial expressions in return. He goes back to reading his history textbook which is filled with too many words and not enough visuals, while the other teen finishes up the rest of his homework with Gumball’s advice in mind. He finishes a bit early and he doesn’t have any other homework to work on since his other teachers haven’t emailed him back yet, so instead of working himself he plops back on his bed with a thud and rolls around in the warm blankets.

After humming tunes for 5 minutes and rolling around got boring Marshall decided that it would be a lot more fun to mess with his friend who was still working his ass off trying to finish his assignment. It had the teen wondering what kind of stuck up high school Gumball went to, and based on the pristine uniform Gumball showed up in they were most likely assholes. He poked at the boy’s pink curls which had been neat and slightly slicked back just like the other day and sighed.

“Shouldn’t you take a break sometime?” Marshall questioned, absentmindedly twirling one of the pink locks as he hung halfway off of his mattress. “Your teachers won’t die if you spend a few minutes away from that stupid book...”

“I can’t-” he slips the page quickly, “I have to pass this class, and right now i’m really behind on my reading.”

Marshall nods to show that he understands, even though he’s probably never even been close to experiencing the amount of stress that Gumball is under right now. He knows how important school is to his friend and he can tell that it means a lot by how much effort be puts into getting good grades. And on top of that, he’s also helping Marshall out whenever he has time. District exams are due in just a few months so it’s not surprising that Gumball wants to put in a little extra time studying on his own. Marshall just doesn’t want him to overwork himself.

For the most part they’re both silent since Marshall is too busy reading over his shoulder to say anything stupid, and even the jokes in his mind are pushed to the very back of his head when he sees Gumball’s hard working expression. He looks really attractive- his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his bottom lip caught softly between his teeth and Marshall would be lying if he said he didn’t want to kiss him really bad right now, but self control was a thing. Besides that, his job was to not bother Gumball— kissing him suddenly would probably do the exact opposite of that.

“Marshall?” He turned away from his thoughts quickly to face the smaller boy, realizing that they were a lot closer than just a few minutes ago.

“Shit- i’m sorry, I was just—” Marshall shoots his head and sat up as he tried to get the rest of his sentence to leave his mouth to no avail. Gumball just sat confused with his book in his lap still, wondering what he was going on about but deciding to let it go and go on ahead with his question.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out this weekend? If you’re feeling better, that is?” The pink haired teen fidgeted with his hands as he waiting for Marshall to respond. 

‘Yes! Yes!’ Is what Marshall was thinking, but he couldn’t get anything out because his heart was beating fast at the thought that Gumball wanted to hang out with him. Like, outside of this tutoring thing they had going on. Hang out as friends or acquaintances or anything. He was more than happy. Happy didn’t even begin to cover it.

“Uh- sure? I mean, yes! Sounds like an a-okay plan to me.” Marshall mentally face palmed.

“okay?” Gumball said with a faint smile and a slight blush, shaking his head at Marshall before going back to reading quietly. He pretended not to notice the overjoyed look on Marshall’s face afterwards, and Marshall pretended that he wasn’t he wasn’t completely head over heels for this guy.

-

“You’re leaving?” 

“Yes, I have to help my mom with dinner tonight,” Gumball finished gathering his things and shoving them inside of his backpack as neatly as possibly, making sure that he had all his belongings before zipping the bag up quickly. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“No. I’m still sick and dying, remember?” Marshall snickered and Gumball rolled his eyes as he tugged on his jacket over his white button up.

“Is it okay if I stop by then? We don’t have to study or anything, but I don’t really have any friends to hang out with after classes are over...” 

“You’re always welcome here, wad.” Gumball laughs out a ‘thank you’ and smiles. “Don’t get too excited. It’s only because my dad believes you’re like, my savior or something.”

“Am I?” The pink haired boy laughs again, but this time it’s closer to a giggle.

“In one way or another,” Marshall sits up with a grin, “goodbye?”

Marshall holds out a fist, expecting the younger male to catch on a bump fists with him because that would be the logical thing to do. Which he does, but only after kissing his own knuckles and then connecting his own with Marshall’s. Gumball just gives a knowing expression and Marshall blushes furiously.

“Get well soon, Marshall. See you tomorrow.” Gumball says in a voice that is way too sweet for his own good before leaving the older male in his own bedroom feeling quite lost and undeniably smitten. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate autocorrect on Wattpad because it always tries to tell me that Gumball is not an actual word and I’m like WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN NOT A WORD OFC ITS A WORD BITCH BOY hope you enjoyed this I poured my heart into making this make sense


	10. ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ostrichboy here writing this chapter since vamps is out sick. trying my best to mimic her writing style so that people don’t get confused or whatever.

Gumball was a good kid. He was polite, punctual, and smart, and his future looked bright even to a blind person. He was the perfect student and perfect son (and even grandson), so when when the teen mentioned to an acquaintance of his that he was going to hang out with _the Marshall Lee, _it was only natural that they snapped and went insane.

Marshall was a known nuisance to the entire town almost, and apparently he'd even attended 7 different schools for like a week each before he was expelled. He'd been on the news (and in jail) for vandalizing property by spray painting dicks everywhere, and he even appeared once just because he was being hyper as usual and accidentally ran into a reporter during spirit week. At Gumball's stupid preppy high school, it was a rule that you shouldn't even mention his name on school grounds unless it's a case of emergency or else they'd go into a lockdown for an entire class period while they checked the school. Stupid, but oddly necessary.

It was a bit irritating to see everyone freak out about Marshall since Gumball knew he was basically a changed person now. Thinking about the older boy, it was hard to even imagine him doing half the things he's said to have done, but they're not unbelievable to be fair. 

"There's no point in being involved with someone like that!" The redhead screeches, his grey eyes going wide and his cheeks blushing in anger. Gumball picks at his lunch and blinks at the over exaggerating teen across from him.

"Flame, calm down. It's not like he's a serial killer or something..." He mumbles and plays with the hem of his white uniform shirt. Flame has a stupid look on his face that Gumball desperately wants to punch off but he sits still and watches his not really friend pout. Everyone is staring at them trying to figure out what's going on, and Gumball decides that the less he speaks the less they'll know. Well if he can get Flame to shut up at least.

"I'm just saying that you'll mess up your reputation if you hang out with him! You're the school's poster boy— if you start getting in trouble, the school will be a mess-" he stops to breathe, "and you'll be a mess too because he'll turn you into a crackhead and then you'll be doing coke together in dingy gas station bathrooms and—"

"He's not like that, okay, frick off! You're being annoying because you're talking about someone you don't even know!" Gumball yells back that the redhead and yanks at his gelled hair to soothe some of the bad energy he's feeling. His pink hair looks wild and out of place, but just a bit curly and not very pretty as he walks away from the table carrying his tray so he can get ready to dump his trash. Afterwards he walks right out of the cafeteria and doesn't bother to glance over at his new nemesis even though he can hear the boy shouting his name, and he just wanders through the empty halls wishing that he had someone to talk to. 

Meanwhile, Marshall sat in bed throwing balled up pieces of paper at his blonde friend, turning his head away and cackling into his shirt sleeve. She then gave him a warning look that made him shrivel up into a curl and frown.

The blonde beside him gave his pillow a slight nudge and scribbled something down on a piece of paper that was by her foot. She stuffed it in his shirt with a slight smirk before turning back to her book about moon phases and zodiacs, scanning the pages for her own sign so she could judge whether it was accurate or not.

'**_marshall and gumball sitting in a tree k_****_♥i♥s♥s♥i♥n_****_♥g_**'

Marshall grimaced at the tiny hearts but blushed slightly before grabbing the pencil that had been stabbing his leg all day out of his pocket and writing something back as best as he could without a solid surface to write on.

'**_i hate trees they be pokey but i wish man_**'

Fionna wiggled her brows and stuffed the piece of paper in her sweater pocket. 'I won't tell.' She mouthed over to Marshall who rolled his eyes and instantly started finding ways to entertain himself. Naturally, his mind drifted over to Gumball and he wondered what he was doing. Maybe he was sitting in class equally as bored, or maybe he was walking down the halls making people laugh and smile. Marshall scrunched his face up in jealousy, really wishing that he was near the pink haired boy who he missed deeply even though they'd seen each other last night.

Marshall physically couldn't wait until the weekend came. Time seemed to pass a lot slower ever since they agreed to do hang out, and especially after that stunt Gumball pulled last time, waiting felt unbearable. Marshall doesn't know if he did it to comfort him since he was sick or if maybe Gumball sort of like him back, and though he'd prefer the latter he had little confidence when it came to romance related things, he was almost sure it was former. 

"Snap out of your daydreams, goth boy," Fionna said with a snap of her fingers. "What's going on with you two? You've been stuck in your thoughts a lot more often than usual..."

Marshall furrowed his brows and shook his head with a developing blush but Fionna didn't want to hear it. The pale boy widened his eyes in fear when Fionna disappeared and reappeared with a butter knife that was way too dull to cut anything but just scary enough to get him talking. Marshall had a deadly fear of anything that he could impale himself on— including all knives (even dull ones). It usually fueled the reason for people to call him a Vlad jr. or Edward Cullen or something.

"Did you two make out?!" She said with squinted eyes, pointing the utensil at him.

"God, no!"

"you cuddled?" She said with a little less pizzaz. Marshall shook his head no fast.

"You wish."

"Hugged?"

"It was a bit platonic, but it's as far as we'll ever get."

Fionna slumped on the bed with a sad sigh, her bright eyes drooping in disappointment. Not only did she walk all the way downstairs for nothing, but the only two people who she ships together still have no gossip to spill. She's never seen Gumball before but she's well aware that Marshall attracts attractive people or nobody at all. 

"Oh man," she plants a hand on his shoulder and gives a soft tap. "does he even know?"

"nah dude- Gumball's just my tutor. Nothing less, nothing more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing gumlee is a little tiring since i’ve grown out of the fandom quite a bit and i’m usually just the editor for this, but this chapter was very fun for me. The ideas that vamps has for this story are definitely cute even though the plot is a tiny bit slow in some places.


	11. eleven

"You're leaving again? Where do you have to go?" Gumball looks over at his mother with a small frown when he sees her slightly sad expression as she stands in his doorway, looking around at the pale pink walls and picks at her blouse.

"I'm going to visit a friend- if that's okay with you?" The lady lets out a breath, wondering about this friend of his.

Truth is, Gumball's never been very good with making new friends. Until recently he's always been bullied for being cute and gullible since people often take advantage of his kindness, and for a long time he shut himself out from the world and only ever spoke to his mom and older sister, Bonnie. Their town is a bit boring and it's a little intimidating when you're the only guy in town walking around with flamboyant pink hair and clothes, so Gumball has always relied on his family to find confidence in his own skin. However, sometime during junior year he stopped caring a little. Still, his mom was still scared that his peers would treat him differently.

"Do I know this person?" Bonnie asks, twirling the ends of her fading pink hair and leaning against the doorframe next to their mother with a smile. They both look up at the older girl who seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.

"You don't know him," Gumball says frantically, mostly because they probably did know Marshall but not for anything particularly good. "He doesn't attend my school." Balance it with a truth.

"He? Is he your boyfriend?" Gumball shakes his head and ruffles his pink hair which easily falls out of it's gelled position. The curls fall back in their usual place and the teen moves towards his closet so that he can get dressed in something more comfortable. After he kicks his nosey family out of his bedroom.

"No, he's one of the students that I tutor after class. We're just pretty good friends." He turns with a smile to face his mom and sister who both have very different looks on their faces. Bonnie begs for him to tell her more, practically getting on her knees to hear anything about her cute younger brother's love life. His mom is a bit weary but there's a faint trace of a smile, so she gives him permission to leave and then walks off somewhere in their abnormally large house.

"So Beau, who's this 'good friend' you're running off into the sunset with?" Bonnibel asks and moves into the room to sit on her brothers comfy bed. She pats the lavender comforter, expecting him to sit next to her without any questions. He does and she gives him a satisfied grin, playing with her pink jeans where they're ripped at the knee and thigh area.

"I told you already—"

"I want a name, silly boy!" Gumball lets out an exasperated sigh of defeat and groans because leave it to his family to be overly dramatic about him doing anything. He's keeps his lips since it probably won't be good if his family finds out that his only actual friend is the guy that terrorizes everyone and everything. Bonnibel looks at him expectantly and holds out a pinky, "I'll keep your secret if you tell me?" And it's almost the first serious thing she's said all day. 

"Please don't tell mom," he pleads and the girl nods her head so quickly that she gets dizzy. Gumball let's out a sigh and chooses to trust her. "his name is Marshall Lee."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been working on another fic so these chapters a kind of short and i’m sorry but lol. BUT i’m back and there’s a slightly bad chapter :’-o
> 
> also, please check out my other published fic! It’s called lee and it’s gumlee because OTP,,, and i published it like last night so yeah.


	12. twelve

"You don't always have to bring me stuff, you know?" Marshall says with a small grin on his face a lets out a tiny chuckle. Despite this, he still takes the snacks Gumball offers him without a second thought as his cravings began to kick in, their fingers brushing together just slightly when his hand makes contact with the bag.

"I know," Gumball replies, stops to giggle, and continues, "but I've got too much money to spend, and I don't have anything that I want in particular so I figured why not spend it all on someone else."

"If you wanna become my sugar daddy jus' say it already..." The teen jokes and Gumball shakes his head at him. He takes in Marshall's pale figure and realizes that he's wearing nothing but a pair of red plaid pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks with tiny little bats on them. His torso is bare and even though Marshall is really lanky and skinny and not super toned or muscular or anything, he's still pretty nice looking overall. His dark hair is curled just slightly and is out of control. Gumball blushes furiously and tries his best to ignore the attractive male, instead focusing his attention on the horror movie poster behind Marshall's bed. He's never noticed it before out of all the times he's been here and he feels slightly dumb because it's huge and bloody and gory, but what reason did he have to look over there when he always had a freaking Marshall right in from of him.

"I love that movie," Marshall says with a huge smile and the younger boy looks over at him with an interested look on his face. He quirks an eyebrow as to say why, and Marshall goes on about it. "It's so cool. I mean, the acting is sooo terrible and the plot totally is ass, but it's the kills that matter. You should totally watch it." he finishes with a satisfied grin. Gumball bites his lip in thought and nods a bit later, keeping the consequences of his decision in mind.

"I'm not the biggest fan of slasher movies, but i'll watch it if you watch it with me?" Gumball offers and Marshall jumps out of bed so fast that he gets dizzy. He does a weird little fist pump thingy in the air, smiling wide and showing off his white set of teeth. The pink haired boy laughed at his enthusiasm and just watched his friend dance around the room in a hype. Marshall moves over to rummage through his desk on the other side of the room.

After digging around for a few minutes there's a huge pile of movie cases stacked on the wooden surface and Marshall is still digging and trying to find the correct one. Gumball wonders how Marshall can stand all of these films as he picks up a case and inspects the decapitated limbs and silhouette of a killer with a shudder before picking up another one and having the same reaction. They get creepier as he keeps going and suddenly watching Sleepaway Camp is not the best idea, but it's too late to back out now when his friend springs up with the CD in his hand.

"Took some diggin' but this bad boy right here be awfully good slappin material” Gumball lets out a nervous chuckle and pulls the sleeves of his sweater down to hid his fidgety hands. He watches anxiously as Marshall grabs the comforter off of his bed and slings it over his shoulder, the movie in one hand and soon he's pulling his pink haired friend up with the other, not letting go of him as they trail down the hall and down the steps.

The teen pulls out an old DVD player that they haven't used since Netflix became a thing and plugged it up hastily with a huge smile on his face. Marshall looks at Gumball and gushes at his terror ridden expression, completely deserving it when Gumball calls him a sadist in return. "You're scaring yourself more than the movie will." Marshall reassures, walking over to the kitchen where he rummages about for popcorn. He knows his dad just went and bought some the other night and even though he's probably not supposed to have any of it he takes the plastic wrap off quickly and doesn't give it a second thought before popping it in the microwave. He waits for a minute and some change, and when he's done he pours it into a large bowl and returns to his friend in a rush.

Marshall hands the bowl to Gumball who grabs it with his sweater paws and goes to slide the disk inside of the player. The movie starts up quickly.

"You can just hide under the blanket if it gets too much or if you get cold." he says and Gumball nods as Marshall plops down next to him.

Instantly and unconsciously, the two teen boys move together on the couch even though it's more than big enough for the both of them. Gumball holds the popcorn in his hands and rests his head on Marshall's shoulder as he watches the screen intently, trying not to miss any bit of the film so that he can learn why his friend likes the movie so damn much. Marshall is grinning the entire time with his arm around Gumball. He doesn't even take a second to think, 'oh god, i'm cuddling with the person I like!' and it's just like it passes his mind completely. Or it feels like that at least, but there's still the euphoria of having the boy in the room with him. They're both comfortable enough that it just manages to slip their thoughts.

Gumball blinks for a half second it feels like before someone is being killed, again, and he covers his eyes with the blanket at the sight of blood. It's one of the things he hates the most, and why he agreed to watch this movie was completely beyond him. The plot was horrible indeed and the nudity was profound, but why Marshall would like the movie was so obvious. It was full of nudity, swearing, crude humor, and death- if Marshall was a movie he'd be this one for sure. Gumball laughed to himself at that. But then he soon stopped laughing when a particularly gruesome scene popped up on the screen and he let out a noise of distress and turns to hide his face in Marshall's shoulder.

Marshall is in the middle of laughing at the death scene when he feels Gumball jump slightly beside him. He blushes deeply and takes a deep breath, feeling awfully conflicted on whether or not he should comment on it. He knows that Gumball is probably only this close because he's scared or cringing or something, but it's already hard enough for himself and there's nothing he can really do about it without exposing his secret. Well it's kind of a secret since he's only actually ever told his dad how he feels, but not really because he'd probably spill immediately if he was asked. Still, they're too close and he's not even sure if that's a good idea.

"We can watch something else if you want," Marshall gulps and closes his eyes for a few seconds to restart his brain before looking back at the screen. Gumball actually trembles beside him when he hears a poorly acted scream of horror. Marshall cringes at the curling iron scene for the 17th time in his entire life.

"N-no. Let's just finish i-it." The pink haired boy replies hesitantly and Marshall looks over at him skeptically. He's temped to turn the film off anyway and they can just watch a comedy or anything the boy wants honestly. He didn't expect for Gumball to be this bad with slasher movies; Marshall had only been expecting a few cringes here and there because it was actually just terrible acting and scripting. The only thing "scary" about the movie was the killing, honestly. "You sure?" The teen questions. Gumball nods slowly and leans into his friend again.

"Alright then."

The movie ends another 30 minutes later and by the end of it Gumball is dozing off in their new position. His eyelids are heavy with sleep as he lays still with his head Marshall's comfy lap and the two remain silent long after the TV screen goes blank. He yawns and blinks long and slowly, and that seems to grab Marshall's attention fairly quickly. At first he looks at Gumball with nothing but fondness, but then he realizes that he's blushing and he goes stone faced pretty damn fast.

"Did that movie tire your brain cells?" Gumball nods and starts to sit up. "It's not that late yet but if you want I can have my dad take you home?" The pink haired boy shakes his head and fixes his hair which is messy from being laid on for half an hour. "No, it's okay. I can walk." He answers with the tiniest smile.

"Can I walk with you then? Just to be safe... cuz' people are kinda creeps..." Marshall asks and Gumball laughs, replying with a

"Yes, Marshall." 

The teen disappears upstairs for a while and he scrambles to put on clothes. He takes off his pajamas and slips on a pair of sweats and a band tee, grabbing a red zip up hoodie before meeting the pink haired boy down stairs. They both put on their shoes with random giggles before scrambling out the door, looking at the setting sky as they walk together and playfully bump into each other. Marshall follows the pink boy though he's walking beside him so close that their hands occasionally bump together. The soft skin touching his sends a jolt of happiness up his spine and he smiles like the big goofy that he is. Gumball hums, smiling just as brightly.

"That movie definitely needs improvement," Gumball says and they come to a stop in front of his fairly large house. Marshall feels ashamed of his own home when he sees it, but it can’t be that bad considering his friend loves being there so much. 

“even though I was terrified the whole time, I had so much fun." Gumball blushes and fidgets with his hands again as he stares at his shoes.

"Yeah, it was." Marshall says as cool as possible and smiles. "Can we do it again? We don't have to watch a movie or really anything, but can we just chi—"

Marshall is completely interrupted and shocked when Gumball cuts him off with a kiss. Not just one on the cheek, but their lips touching and he panics for half a second before closing his eyes and kissing back. Gumball's lips are soft and pretty much perfect as anyone would expect, and Marshall knows his prayers have been answered. Gumball pulls away too quickly for the older males liking with a grin. He gives one last peck and it leaves Marshall shocked. 

"Thank you for today, Marshall Lee." Gumball says and Marshall melts in 3...2...1. The pink teen waves a goodbye and scrambled over to his front door, peeking back at Marshall one last time before disappearing inside. Marshall left once he could no longer see the boy and and let out a rather weird noise of happiness. He licked his lips, tasting the popcorn from earlier and a bit of strawberry from Gumball's lip balm, and he was pretty damn content with how the night was going so far. Everything was perfect; they watched the best but also the shittiest movie ever made, cuddled, and ended the night with a kiss. Suddenly every love song by Bruno Mars song made so much sense and Marshall didn't bother trying to confuse himself with the fact that they had just friends, and tutor and tutoree like less than 24 hours ago.

He was too simple of a guy for that.

He ran home quickly after that and forgot all about how he was in no shape to be full on sprinting but he barely cared for that as he was more glee than ever. Marshall couldn't wait to go home and scream into his pillow like the smitten boy he was, and when his dad would ask him why he was so hyper acting all of a sudden he would only reply with his crushes name before screaming again like teen girls in 2012 when One Direction came on the radio. He took a shortcut this time and hopped over a gate, running through a few yards all while looking up at the sky and smiling too hard for his own hood.

If he ended up tripping over a dog leash nobody had to know.

He burst through the doors with a pant and clutched his injured knee, "Daaaaad, I kissed a boy! Also, I hurt my fucking knee!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does this plot seem rushed? I don’t think so but lemme know...  
Is there still a lot of the story left? absolutely.  
Am I moving things along a bit so that we can get into the good stuff? Absolutely.
> 
> IT WAS ONLY A KISS IT WAS ONLY A KISS
> 
> this has 2k+ words so it’s officially the longest and most important chapter in the entire book so far.


	13. thirteen

Marshall was ushering his dad to clean his wound the correct way since the middle aged man insisted that it wasn't a good idea to use hand sanitizer on his scrape. He rinsed his knee in warm water and then he spilled all the beans on his day with Gumball.

"And then he— ow, fuck!"

"God, who taught you that swearing so goddamn much was okay?!" Matthew questioned as he tried off the small cut with a fluffy towel and grabbed some ointment out of the bathroom cabinet, along with a Bandaid big enough to fit over his knee. Marshall whined at the weird sensation of the ointment and did his best not to flinch at the slight sting when it touched his scrape. "Keep going,"

"Where was I again? Oh yeah!" Marshall babbled on about how Gumball hated horror movies for a while in an an unusually soft tone, one that Matthew has noticed only ever came out when he was talking about his tutor. He didn't mention it at all but it was very obvious that the fondness he had for the boy was nothing but genuine. Especially as Marshall approached the end of the story.

"And then he kissed me, and dad, it was the best thing ever. It was better than playing guitar when i'm stressed, or sleep after a long day at school. It's better than everything I can think of— can you kiss my ouchie? Thanks—"

"Sounds like something right out of a Disney movie if you ask me," Matthew says and sips his usual tea which literally appeared out of fucking nowhere. 

Marshall shook his head at that and thought, 'it's not a Disney movie at all...' even though it kinda was. The main problem was that somewhere underneath all this happiness there was a thick layer of self disapproval and that inferiority complex he hid by making people laugh at his jokes. He likes Gumball a lot and he supposes that it's obvious that his crush isn't unrequited, but suddenly he's scared of not being good enough for Gumball. Rejection.

He's too stupid and not smart enough for the boy. 

Not good looking enough to be seen with someone so precious.

Too pathetic— scared of messing up everything that they've built over the weeks. 

The affection is there, but everything is just moving so fast and he doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing. He frowns deeply and sighs with those pretty pink curls in mind and those devastatingly gorgeous blue eyes. It brings him to his main question: forget about the kiss for a while as he tries to get himself to the perfect person Gumball deserves? Or officially address his feelings and maybe they can be something more, and they can work on those small insecurities together. The latter seems the most appealing.

"I'm gonna ask him out..." Marshall thinks out loud and his dad grins at him, patting his sons uninjured knee and getting up from his spot on the end of the bathtub. He takes his tea along with him and he doesn't say anything else and instead he trails downstairs ready to watch another crappy episode of The Real House Wives of Beverly Hills. Marshall wobbles behind his dad pathetically and wheezes out a gasp when he almost trips on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw 5sos live today and god it was magical. inspired me to write, calum’s hair, surprisingly so i’m gonna double upload. ALSO I spent 50 bucks on a shirt and my wallet won’t feel it until I wake up the next morning :’) so proud of myself


	14. fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning; the whole chapter is basically NSFW. there’s some detailed wet dream right off the bat and a bit of masturbation going on here. nothing y’all can’t handle, eh? I didn’t put anything too important here so if you skip you should be fine. The important stuff will be in the next chapter.

_“Fuuuck,” Marshall moaned, trying his hardest to remain anchored to earth and not ascend to heaven from the blissful pleasure between his legs. He looked down at Gumball who was practically glowing with Marshall’s dick between his lips and let out a sound that was too close to a whine. The pink haired boy sucked eagerly, bobbing his head and giving soft hums around the cock in his mouth, drawing pleasure from the male above him. “Just like that...”_

_Gumball sucked and slurped around Marshall eagerly, leaning forward just a bit so that he could slide down his throat a bit easier. The teen decided that Marshall was fairly large and his dick was pretty much spank bank material; long and cut, and just the right amount of thickness that it created a slight ache in Gumball’s jaw but not so much that it was uncomfortable. Every time he swallowed around Marshall a deep feeling of arousal settling in his stomach and it made him work harder. He made it his mission to make Marshall come no matter what._

_The pink haired teen deep throated him one last time before pulling back to lap at his slit where there was precum gathering in batches. Marshall sighed in pleasure and reached down to thread his fingers through the locks on top of Gumball’s head, looking down at the teen with dark eyes who was already looking back up at him with a playful glint in his cerulean eyes. Marshall closed his eyes tightly when the warm mouth was replaced by a fist instead, each pump fast and indeed pleasurable. _

_“Fuck— m’ gonna...” Marshall announced lustfully and began to thrust his hips to meet Gumball’s fist eagerly._

_“Yeah, Marsh? Gonna cum on my face, hm? Or in my pretty little mouth?” He promptly lost it at that moment. _ _He moaned loudly and his cock twitched with the need to release in Gumball’s grip, his slick hands still moving up and down the shaft at the same constant speed. “Y-yeah— shit— wanna see you covered in my cum-” Marshall groaned out in a voice that was too high pitched. Gumball moaned at his words and leaned over to take just the tip into his mouth again, surrounding the sensitive flesh in a thick, sweet heat._

_Marshall was coming soon after that, his dick hard as a rock and he practically yelled in pleasure after a long awaited orgasm. Gumball swallowed the bit of cum that got released_ _ in his mouth, the rest of the fluid streaking his lips, cheek, and over his eye with white. He licked at the cum on his lips with closed eyes curiously wondering what it tasted like. Not bad, but a bit salty, not exactly his favorite taste. But, it was Marshall so he didn’t care. Gumball wiped at the ejaculate on his eye and swallowed it down as well, peeking up just in time to see the older male above him stuck in his chaotic mind, a look of post coital bliss on his face, and the pink haired boy comes hard. Marshall breathes steady breaths _ _until he could finally bring himself to look at Gumball without getting worked up again._

_He sighed, “That was great” _ _Marshall says and pulls the pink haired boy into a soft kiss, tasting himself on the pink and plump lips along with the faint taste of strawberry lip balm. “Thank you. We’re definitely doing this again another time.”_

_“Whenever you want to go again, Marsh.”_

The pale teen jolts awake quickly after the scene in his dream unfolds. The room is cold and bare when he pushes the blankets away from his body, and the wet patch on his sweats makes him grimace in both disgust and disappointment. He realizes that he just had a wet dream about Gumball, his friend and crush, and instantly crumbles on the inside just a bit more. A new deep found repulsion for himself settles inside when he thinks of the cum-painted Gumball in his dream, and part of him wants to blame it on his being a teenager, but he knows it’s more than just that. Marshall feels as if he’s disrespected himself and his friend when he grazes his fingers against the wet patch right over his dick. And his dick is still hard even though he just came in his dream and in real life.

Marshall hops out of bed quickly and heads to the bathroom before the stickiness on his bottoms can dry up and get stale. He starts the cold water up as punishment and then pulls off his sweats, shirt and his underwear, stepping underneath the cold flow in refusal to jerk off. He shivers and stares at his dick with a pissed expression, willing it to go down and for all of his stupid teenage boy hormones to go away forever for the first time. A knock on the bathroom door interrupts his thoughts.

“Marshall? What the hell, kid!? It’s fucking 5 AM and I gotta piss! Why aren’t you asleep?”

The teen panics. “Um— I just got bored so I decided to shower to pass the time?”

“Well I hope you can pay the fucking water bill, then!” Matthew screeches. “Hurry up!”

Marshall realizes that his dick still hasn’t gone flaccid and he knows he’s in trouble. His dad will probably knock again in what? Three minutes? And it’s gonna take a lot longer than that to yank one off in this state of mind. No other visual comes to mind except for Gumball and his stupid lips that Marshall only kissed once and suddenly had wrapped around his cock, and he can’t believe himself when that only makes him harder. “Shit!” He whisper yells to himself.

Marshall turns the cold water even colder and settles his boner directly underneath the spray. Nothing. 

He wraps his hand around his boner, the ache in his dick becoming slightly more apparent now that he’s got something around himself. He pumps once just to test it and the relief he feels is undeniable, so he does it again and sighs deeply. He tries to keep the image of Gumball was away from his thoughts as the guilt would eat him alive if he used his friend as fap material.

**_knock, knock, knock._** “Marshall, if you don’t come out in 2 minutes i’m coming in!”

The teen tugged faster and gripped tighter, not caring anymore about anything but getting it over with and practically sobbing to himself as he tried to get off. All he could think about was those pink curls and a deep heat formed in his lower half, the slick sound of his hand moving against his dick covered by the sound of the shower. The sweat beading on his forehead mixed in with his tears of disgust as he came for a second time into his hand with a small grunt and a low moan. He washed the cum off of his hands and let it wash down the drain along with the water.

“I’m fucking gross...” Marshall mumbled and decided to wash up while he was in here anyway. “Just one sec!” He yelled out to his dad who was was a second away from coming in.

Marshall turned the warm water on washed up quickly and scrubbed at his skin for a while as he thought despite his protests. He washed his hair as well before turning the water off completely and stepping out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his pale waist, his hair dripping wet. He grabbed his dirty clothes and grimaced but refused to leave them where his dad would see. Marshall opened the bathroom door to reveal his angry father. “S’ all yours, old man.” He joked in an attempt to lighten his mood.

“Fina-fucking-lly.” Matthew grumbled and slapped Marshall upside his head full of sopping wet hair.

After getting dressed Marshall totally avoided his bedroom. Instead of going back to sleep he poured himself a tasty glass of fruit punch and indulged in 6 AM cartoons for the first time in a while, genuinely laughing at the humor despite his day starting off terrible. The sun was still rising so he had plenty of time to make things right as long as he avoided all Gumball related things. No doubt Marshall would always be happy to see the boy, but his dick was clearly on board with that as well and that was the problem.

His dad came down from his bedroom at around 8 and made breakfast as well as tea for the two since he insisted tea was “the best water”. He made bacon and pancakes, as well as toast, but Marshall refused to eat the toast because he would’ve had to put strawberry jam on it and strawberries reminded him of who’s name he shall not utter. He sat at breakfast unusually quiet, and when his dad noticed he had to come up with another lie. If Marshall was Pinocchio then he’d surely be out of luck.

All day his dad asked “What’s up with you?” or “Why the long face?” and “Have you talked to Bonnibeau at all?” and to each he responded:

“I’m just feeling a bit groggy.” or “I always look like this?” and “Nope, I haven’t. In case you forgot he has a life outside of us.”

Marshall was particularly sour which was ironic because people always say life is so good after orgasming and yet here he was feeling dirty, nasty, and repulsive like an oil spill in the ocean. Thinking about Gumball had become a part of his daily routine and not doing so just completely threw him off as a whole. He was lazy and upset, too much so to do anything besides lay with one leg propped up on the arm of the couch with a stupid look on his face as he watched some queer show about people who were actually just like made of jewelry and probably worth a fortune on eBay. And he was doing so well until...

“Hey, Bonnibeau wanted to know if you were feeling better so I gave him your number.” Matthew says and casually sips on his tea without a care in the world. Marshall stares at him in disbelief, shocked at how quick his father was to hand out his personal info. He died on the inside knowing that he wouldn’t be able to avoid Gumball if they were texting, because if Gumball approached him first there was no way he would be able to resist chatting with him. His entire plan was ruined. “He said something about hanging out.”

Marshall pulled his phone out of his pocket hastily and sure enough there were two text messages from an unknown number. 

-**_Hi Marshall! I was wondering if you wanted to hang out a bit later? Around 3? I want to talk to you about the other night, if you’re not feeling too unwell? _**

-**_Right, i’m so stupid. This is Gumball, by the way._**

He gay panicked when he read the messages. Hang out? Talk about the other night? Of course he wanted to hang out and talk but god, he was terrified of hearing something along the lines of: “i don’t really like you I just kissed you because I felt bad for you. thanks bye.” 

Marshall doesn’t know if he could handle the best case scenario either since his dick was being a real pain today—literally. He just thinks of Gumball and now suddenly he’s half hard and his dad is standing right fucking there, which is so awkward. Marshall truly tried his hardest to not think of his crush but it was just stupid how anyone could be that damn attractive. People pay to look that good, and here Gumball was, all pretty and sweet and giving teenage boys raging boners as if he was a model on the cover of a play boy magazine. He sighs and grabs a pillow to put over his boner in the best efforts to ignore it. Marshall saves Gumball’s contact in his phone quickly before replying.

-Yeah sure but can we go somewhere else? Kinda don’t wanna sit in the house all day

_correction; -kinda don’t wanna sit in the house alone with you all day_

But Marshall doesn’t add that last piece. Gumball replies fairly quickly to his message which he’s thankful for. Gorgeous, smart, polite, and a fast texter? Marshall is definitely gonna have to snatch Gumball’s perfect ass soon for himself before someone else does. 

-**_I’m okay with anywhere. Do you have a place in mind?_**

He thinks.

-how about we just take a walk because I rly fucking need some fresh air ?? i could meet you somewhere or I could pick you up dsnt rly matter

‘God, i’m so awkward...’ Marshall thinks to himself as he awaits a reply. He gets up and walks weirdly to the stairs to hide his boner from his dad, sighing when he’s in clear water but finding a new problem instead. Walking up the stairs creates some odd kind of friction and apparently his body thinks it feels good when he walks like he has THREE left feet.

Marshall goes to his room quickly and slams the door behind him, locking it and getting undressed quickly. He knows his dick isn’t gonna be soft in the next— thirty minutes if he doesn’t take care of it, but there’s no way he’s gonna jerk off and then go see Gumball. Being horny before was never this conflicting before. His phone rings in his pocket and he lets out a small moan from the vibration. What. The. Fuck- has his life come to.

The two decided to meet at a nearby park and go from there since it was a lot easier. Marshall dressed up in dark pair of bottoms and pulled on a red and black Radiohead shirt, his freshly washed red hoodie over it, and a pair of Batman socks because he had to do it to em. He grabbed his phone, his wallet and jogged downstairs quickly. He was kind of running a bit late since in the end he did end up having to get himself off, but it was nothing a little fast paced walking couldn’t fix. He slipped on his dirty red converse and tied the laced as fast as possible. 

Marshall ran out of the house before his dad could question him. It felt wrong to say: “Oh I’m just going on a walk with Gumball because he just wanted to talk about how we kissed and is possibly going to reject me because he’s in love with some posh guy from his class and not actually me.” so he didn’t.

But right now he truly felt as if he was on the way to his heart’s funeral, and he hated how the feeling in his gut told him that was exactly what was gonna happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew double upload outtatw anyways I got tired of fluff so I wrote this beneficial smut okay an? Who gone fight me bout it 😎 also sex money feelings die by lykke li is a complete banger as well as empty wallets by 5sos see ya’


	15. fifteen

It didn't take a second longer than 2 minutes before Marshall was overcome with a hurricane of different emotions. He was so happy that he'd see Gumball today, but also nothing less than nervous, as well as embarrassed for some reason, and he was also felt kind of... discombobulated though the cause of that was undefined. Marshall tapped his foot against the ground in anticipation, a breeze chilling him every so often because even his favorite hoodie was useless in the bipolar weather these days. The teen seated himself on a nearby bench and waited as patiently as he could.

Despite the chilly weather the sky was a nice shade of blue. It was almost as vibrant as Gumball's eyes, Marshall thought, which made him feel oddly calm and happy. The clouds were sparse looking and pale as they floated across the sky and his brown eyes followed them in efforts to soothe his body and mind. He didn't feel as nervous as he did a minute ago fortunately, and the guilt from this morning had disappeared along with his nervousness. All that was left was the lingering elated feeling he got when he thought about how he'd be able to see his most favorite person ever. Marshall grinned to himself and blushed a bright color that could only appear on the face of a love struck teenager.

5 minutes passed before Marshall was approached by anyone. He was humming a small tune when a pair of hands covered his eyes suddenly. He tensed up just slightly but then came a familiar and soothing voice that made him slump back into his previous position. "Guess who?" the voice said and Marshall just chuckled.

"Very funny, Willy Wonka," The pale teen joked and Gumball laughed just a bit, removing his hands from blocking Marshall's vision. Gumball pressed a chaste kiss to Marshall’s blushed cheek before sitting next to his friend and gave him a smile. Honestly, Marshall thought he was going to die of a heart attack before he even turned 18 at this rate. "Did you miss me?" The pink haired boy inquired and Marshall tapped his bottom lip in fake thought. "Hm... Not really," he joked. Gumball frowned and Marshall just laughed and nudged him. 

"'Course I missed you, stupid head." Gumball pretended to be offended.

The two spent a few minutes catching up but they didn't really talk about the huge fucking elephant in the room... park? Whatever. Marshall told Gumball about his scrapes and his bruises as small talk but he was too embarrassed to tell his crush how he got them, because saying 'I tripped because I was too busy fanboying over you kissing me to pay attention' just sounded pathetic in his brain. Gumball was too worried about him over the minor injuries and Marshall had to actually convince him that he was totally okay by walking for 30 whole seconds and all, and on the outside he looked annoyed but he was actually really happy that the boy was concerned for him. It made him feel like he wasn't walking right into a trap that ended in rejection and denial. He was practically bathing in fondness for the beautiful boy next to him and it felt like absolutely nothing would change that.

But Gumball started to tell Marshall about how he wanted to tell him something, and his heart started to beat faster. Based on his luck Gumball would tell him something along the lines of, 'I regret kissing you, or 'I don't like you in that way'. There was also the possiblity that maybe his crush was requited from how Gumball has been acting but he wasn't sure. At least Gumball wasn't the kind of person to rudely reject someone if it turned out to be the former. He tried his best to conceal his worries as he began to walk alongside Gumball, who was rambling.

"-- I apologize for not bringing it up earlier but I was really nervous and I didn't know what to do about it because honestly everyone I know hates you, but I just really like being around you even if my mom would be disappointed if she knew we were even friends. But I don't care about what they say about you," He says and Marshall listens the best he can over the voices in his head. "I'm sorry, i'm just--" he pauses and speaks again, quieter, "What i'm trying to say is that I really like you and I want there to be an us." Gumball finishes.

"There's already an us," Marshall admits after a passing thought. "There's always been an us to me.”

"I've always liked you ever since the library. You're just really the best, and you're so pretty that it was hard for me not to. I guess we don't really know each other and I guess that makes me kinda shallow or whatever but I really just don't care." It had been the truth.

Gumball nods but doesn't say anything, instead opts for nibbling on his bottom lip and blushing while staring at the ground. Marshall runs a relieved hand through his hair and lets out a breath and he wonders why the hell he was so worried in the first place. Of course Gumball would like him back-- he was an idiot and idiots always manage a catch.

"You know, I was really worried that you were here to tell me you didn't mean it," Gumball looked up at him with blue eyes and he blushed again. "The kiss. That you didn't mean the kiss, I mean."

"Of course I meant it! I don't just go around placing my lips on random guys, you know." The pink haired boy frowned and Marshall couldn't help but laugh at him. He felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off of his shoulder after this. Not being rejected for once felt a lot better than he'd thought it would've. And Gumball was so much better than any boy or girl at his school. Gumball was literal perfection, and he liked Marshall back.

"Okay, okay," he laughed and the two stopped walking. "I'm really happy."

"Me too." Gumball replies with a cheeky grin, his cheeks just slightly blushed and littered with gorgeous freckles. The thumping in Marshall's chest quickens with every moment he looks at the boy and he wonders how someone so perfect could end up with a guy like him. Before Gumball, Marshall was just a class clown with lousy grades and a terrible obsession with rock bands. Now he not only wants to be better for himself but also for Gumball and his efforts, and he thinks, even if they don't work out then he wouldn't take it back for world or even Kurt Cobain's signature on his forehead.

They go back to chatting casually and they hold hands as they pretty much roam without knowing where they're going, turning at random corners not paying much attention as they find themselves lost in conversation. Hearing Gumball talk about his interests so enthusiastically makes Marshall realize that he doesn't really know his friend, or whatever they were now, all that well. He wants to get to know Gumball a bit more before he decides to ask him out on a date, since figuring out what he likes and making it special is important. At least he knows that he'll have a chance when the time comes. The sun sets and with each sunrise he'll hopefully be closer to making Gumball his.

"What time do you have to be home?" He asks and Gumball sighs.

"I have until 7 since I have to help my mom and sister cook dinner tonight." He answers and rolls his eyes annoyingly. Being the only guy at home is boring and sucks. Plus, his family is nosy and they're always questioning him these days. Sometimes getting out of the house and spending time with Marshall feels like escaping a burning building. "What about you?"

“Uh I guess any time before 11? My dad doesn’t really care as long as he gets to drink his stupid tea...” They both laughed at that especially Gumball when he realizes that Marshall’s dad, Matthew, really is addicted to peppermint tea. Every time he sees the older man he’s drinking it, and he’d even been stirring a cup of it while he was hiring Gumball to tutor his son.

When they finally stop laughing Marshall asked, “Well, since we still have some time do you wanna grab something to eat?” 

“Did you just read my mind?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t updated in like a week and I’m very sorry. I have been struggling to keep up in my AP classes srs thinking of dropping them because it’s only my freshman year and this stress phew chile I can’t. but anyway, I really tried with this chapter and I think I like most of it.


	16. sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen to lo que siento to by cuco while reading this I didn’t even know how much they related to that song bruv
> 
> ^ LINK IN TEXT

[CUCO - LO QUE SIENTO](https://youtu.be/Oi9IhqY_Iv0)

Marshall has hope for his future with Gumball. For once he didn't feel like a crushing child who was running around headless like a chicken with it's head cut off, like a fool who was chasing after a beauty who was out of his league. He felt good and he felt extremely blessed to the point where it was almost unbelievable. Marshall felt as if today was a new chapter in his life. One he was ready to write with one of the most important people in his life. Maybe it was his over dramatic teenage mind talking and thinking for him, but he truly felt as if he was falling in love with Gumball a bit each day.

The two decided to eat in at some Chinese restaurant since the place was mostly empty. They ate their food and talked in between bites, annoying the employees with their silly jokes and laughter. Marshall loved making Gumball laugh because only his dad and Fionna have ever laughed at his jokes before, who were both people he didn't think of romantically. Being the reason for Gumball's smile gave him a surge of confidence and a sense of self worth, like, 'okay Marshall you're actually pretty cool and a great guy and you deserve this and you deserve Gumball'. It was awesome.

They stayed until half an hour before closing which was probably the highlight of the workers' days; seeing the two walk out those doors that is. The sun was starting to set by now and Marshall held Gumball's hand as the boy walked beside him. The shades of the sunset only made Gumball that much prettier, the reds and oranges spreading across his freckle covered cheeks and over the bridge of his cute nose. He was really the most gorgeous, enticing, most intelligent boy Marshall had ever seen in his entire life.

"We should seriously eat somewhere closer to home next time..." The pink haired boy sighed. Marshall blushed at the fact that he said there would be a next time at all before containing his internal emoji hearts and gives a smirk.

"I could always carry you." He suggests with a shrug and makes a smug expression when Gumball visibly brightens. He holds up a hand, "but only if you grant me a wish,"

Gumball slumps. "God, why do all guys always have a catch?"

"Hey!" Marshall looks at him and gives him an offended look, staring at the dreamy boy who shoves a sassy hand in his pale face. They're both laughing a second later though. 

"I'm kidding, Gummy, i'll carry you anywhere for free,"

"I know," Gumball says with a smile when he’s done laughing. "Now, give me a piggyback ride you giant." he giggles out.

Marshall shakes his head but nonetheless bend his knees and allows the boy to leap onto his back playfully, laughing quietly. Marshall turns his head to hide his blush but it's no use because Gumball teases him about it relentlessly, poking his cheeks softly as Marshall carries him home. Usually it's easier to hide his emotions but after today it'll be impossible to stop himself from turning into a tomato whenever they're in the same room or just near each other, or even just talking. Won’t matter if they're standing face to face, miles apart, or right down the street.

Gumball rests his head on Marshall's shoulder tiredly and lets out a tiny yawn that makes the older teen speed up his pace. Gumball smiles, very happy with being carried but also feeling great because today it was just all about he and Marshall, and he absolutely loved it. He gathered up all his fondness for the pale teen, his happiness and pressed a bold kiss to the slope of Marshall neck right over the two oddly placed freckles he had. Marshall's grip on his thigh tightened and a pinch came a second later.

"Don't get cheeky, gumwad," Marshall joked. Gumball rolled his eyes and spoke plainly, "You wish I would..." 

"Sure," the older boy replied as he approached the nice home, his lips pursed. Gumball hopped off of his back with the quietest shriek ever, momentally hating he and Marshall's height difference in the seconds before his feet touches the ground. Well it wasn't that much of a height difference but still. 

"Text me when you make it home, okay?" He said and Marshall saluted him. He bent down to give Gumball a kiss just because it felt right at the moment and it was something he'd never get tired of no matter what. The butterflies and the heart beating in his chest was nothing new since he'd gotten used to them due to hanging out with the pink haired boy so often, but there was something else that he couldn't quite pin. It was a mix or arousal and something completely different but familiar. Gumball tugged him closer by the red fabric of his hoodie which snatched him out of his fairytale daze and he pulled away slowly and tried his hardest not to ruin the mood.

"You taste...pink." he said and kissed Gumball's forehead and cheek.

"Oh my— shut up, Marsh!" He smacked his lips and slapped Marshall's chest. He couldn't help from laughing. "You're so annoying. You'd better be lucky that I like you a lot."

"Oh trust me, I know exactly how lucky I am. Very grateful that I get to kiss a stick of Hubba Bubba." Marshall snorted. Gumball rolled his eyes again and let out a sigh.

"Am I going to see you sometime soon?" The pink haired boy questioned and went back into his nervous and shy shell, still clutching the fabric of the red hoodie which Marshall thought was just too cute. He almost teared up because he _is _lucky and he _is _grateful for having Gumball in his life. "This... We're not going to be awkward after today, right?"

"Nope, promise. You can just call or text and i'll come to you wherever you are, just plain ol' Marshall Lee who can't do shit besides play guitar." He winked.

Gumball nodded and let go of Marshall's hoodie. "Okay." Is all he said before turning away with a blush on his face. He walked towards the painted steps with a tired sigh and yawned again, wrapping his arms around himself. Marshall noticed which made him quickly pull off his hoodie without even acknowledging the bumps forming on his skin from the breeze as the sky darkened. He stopped Gumball and tugged the warm fabric over Gumball's small body and gave him one last small kiss on the tip of his nose. "I'll text you when I make it home, okay?" he said with a smile. Gumball nodded and poked his arms through the too long sleeves.

"Keep me in mind until I see you tomorrow, love." He chucked up the peace sign.

And with that he went home feeling like he was standing on the top of the world because he was so high on loving Gumball and he didn't ever think he'd come back down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If they relationship move fast it’s because I can’t stand mfkas who don’t know who they love in fanfics. Like,,, you know when you have feelings for someone it usually doesn’t take a year and a half or a dramatic ass thing to happen lol


	17. seventeen

"Oh em gee, Marshall Lee?! Is it really you? I can't beli-" Marshall quieted the blonde girl by slapping a hand over her busy mouth, his mind practically swarming with joy at the slightest bit of quiet. He had a long night thinking about Gumball which meant no sleep, and his brain just had to act all bamboozled on the day he decided to return to school.

He flipped his hair out of his face and sighed as the two walked to the place he liked to call "the source" sometimes, because it was the source of all his problems. Marshall took his hand away from Fionna's mouth and the wiped unusual on his hand on his jeans. "Yes, it is I. Sadly, I don't sign autographs because i'm a loser." he joked plainly and literally yawned at his unfunny-ness.

"I haven't seen you since I was 12..." Fionna said and laughed dryly before pulling out a tube and reapplying some of the sticky substance on her lips. Marshall came to the conclusion that that was what was now staining his pants, and he watched her in confusion. "What?"

"What's... that?" He asked as he pointed to the clear tube that had tiny specks of glitter in it. Fionna furrowed her brows in confusion as well for a second before holding up her the tube in question. Marshall nodded. "My lip gloss."

"You never wear... lip gloss, though? Are you starting a new phase? Don't tell me you shop at PacSun now...Fi, have you become a VSCO girl?!"

"Hell no!" She screeched loudly, disturbing their neighbor's guard dog as they walked past. "I'm just trying to be trendy so that Flame will like me. But I'm really impatient and the mall is always crowded and wikihow said all I needed was some of this to look like, super cute. Do I look cute?"

“Fuck, I don't know, all girls look the same to me." Marshall replied as they finally approached the school. He prepared himself for the chaos awaiting him with a deep breath, although he wasn't prepared for when Fionna attacked him.

The two walked into the school as a duo as always, going straight to their lockers to put away whatever they didn't need. Fionna just shoved her jacket in Marshall's locker today and the two chatted away freely all the way up until the bell rang, which had the shorter girl scurrying off to class like a roach when the lights come on. Marshall chuckled and shut his locker, making his way to class as well with a sigh. Surprisingly, he got there before the bell rang, which completely took him by surprise because he couldn't even remember what class this was. Sure, his legs had carried him here without a problem but he had completely forgotten his schedule. 

"Marshall Lee! It's glad to finally have you back!" The teacher greeted him eagerly, though Marshall only raised a brow at the funny acting weirdo and took a random seat in front of some girl who he barely knew. Class started and Marshall let out a loud, groan that served to be nothing but disruptive.

Classes were definitely slow. By the time lunch came around Marshall had a stack of missing work waiting to be completed, and instead of eating the mouth watering apples they had at school, he grabbed a pencil out of his bag and tried to lessen his load for later. All of it was due on Friday as well since final grades were being entered and he was damn stressed out. Marshall felt like a single dad with 12 kids, debt, and no job. God, life sucked when you were lazy.

He had been staring at the math on the paper in front of him for more than 2 minutes now, and he was lost. After many tries he decided to skip it, and right as he was shoving the dumbass papers in his old backpack he realized he had been using the wrong formula the entire time. Groaning, he figured it was too late to go back to it now.

The bell rang and Marshall went to back to class with a flat out attitude.

"Let's hang out today! C'mon Marshall! You can play guitar for me and then we can watch American Horror Story!" Fionna exclaimed as she ran up to Marshall right before he exited the school doors after his last class of the day. He pursed his lips and sucked in a sharp breath, "Can't." he replied.

"Why not? Do you have to do that tutoring thing today?" She questioned and practically hung on Marshall's bag. 

"Nope," Marshall said, popping the p. "I don't start again until Monday. I’m hanging out with Gumball today, and I promised." Fionna nodded understandingly and began to walk beside her tall friend, her cheeks blushed from being a little upset. 

Sure, she loved Marshall. She loved when he was happy and everything that made him happy-- he was her best friend. Brother, even. But Marshall hadn't been to school in forever doing god knows what and now he doesn't even have the time to hang out like they used to. Fionna is aware that Marshall likes Gumball and would never do anything to get between them, and she would hate to be that friend, but she deserved time with Marshall too. 

"Are you two at least getting somewhere? Like, did you tell him yet?" The blonde girl asked and played with her split ends boredly, smearing the sticky substance on her lips together as she awaited a very anticipated answer. She watched as Marshall perked up instantly, a bright smile finding it's way onto his face and his brown eyes lit up. Of course she couldn't even be upset with him if she tried her hardest. Marshall nodded his head vigorously and prepared his gossip, Fionna keeping her ears open for whenever he was done imagining kissing Gumball in his head and began to talk.

"We're kind of a thing now. We’re not really dating but we kinda are? I don't know, but I really like him a lot. He says he likes me too but I find that hard to believe because people play jokes on me all the time as revenge for me playing jokes on them, and we can both agree that he's waaay out of my league, right? Never mind that doesn’t make sense. Anyway, Gumball is perfect and I just don't know what he sees in me. Whatever though, I'm glad he'll kiss me even if I'm not as good looking or as smart as him." Marshall spilled with a blush. "What about you and Flame?"

Fionna cringes, "Um... Well, he's..." 

"He says that he likes someone else who goes to his school, but that we can still be friends. I still like him so I don't want to just give up, y'know? It's why I bought this lip gloss. I hate it, but Flame said he likes cute things... I don't know, boys are confusing." She said with a huff.

"Yeah, boys are stupid," Marshall agreed, nodding. "So, I can kick his ass now?"

"No! Marshall Lee!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates r slow because american horror story took over my life and I’m unashamed of my attraction to Cody Fern as Michael Langdon


	18. eighteen

Marshall had never been inside of Gumball's house out of all the time that they spent together and truthfully, it never actually occurred to him until the pink haired boy was inviting him over for the first time. They always just hung out at Marshall's place since it was more convenient, but Marshall also never thought about bringing it up since he wasn't sure that Gumball wanted him over at all anyways. He could vividly recall the other day where Gumball had expressed his family's distaste for Marshall's personality.

But he stood corrected as the two frosted the cake they'd baked together in Gumball's kitchen, giggles and booming laughter filling the space and a mess of too much flour and other ingredients everywhere. Marshall himself was decorated in pink and yellow frosting while Gumball remained clean and too cute to be true. Their bodies were pressed close together with just enough room for them to be able to decorate the dessert as they pleased, Marshall mostly following Gumball's movements because he knew nothing about baking besides the eating part. He tried his best to scribble Gumball's name in cursive which was actually just his regular writing with a fancy looking 'g' and they laughed about that too.

Marshall scooped a bit of frosting off of his cheek and popped a finger in his mouth, the sweet flavor taking over his taste buds and he groaned in pleasure. Marshall didn't like eating cake that often because of the thick layers of buttercream spread on top of it but he would've had to be a psycho to reject something that tasted that good. Marshall looked over at Gumball who was decorating the cake with pretty blue and green frosting flowers and smiled--his pretty little baker. Gumball turned his head to meet Marshall's gaze with a grin. "Need something?" The pink haired boy questioned teasingly.

"Nope," Marsh replied, popping the 'p'. "Just amazed by how great you are."

"At baking? I'm mediocre, at best, I just have a steady hand." The pale teen shook his head and messy hands on the teal apron Gumball made him put on. He looked ridiculous in it but it made the other boy happy so who was he to take it off?

Marshall let out a breathy laugh, "your baking skills are waaay better than mine, first of all. But I was just talking about _you _in general. You're really fucking awesome. Like seriously, I can't do half of the shit you can. I don't know if I should feel stupid because you're totally outta my league or happy that you even like me at all." Gumball blushed and looked away to hide his pink cheeks that almost matched his hair; even then Marshall could still the faint smile on his face, and that was enough to make him smile.

"You're too kind, Marshall Lee." Gumball only spoke quietly, almost inaudible but not quite.

"It's the truth..." Marshall gulped and nodded as his heartbeat sped up, the familiar feeling of butterflies taking over his stomach once again and filling him to the brim with nervous, yet happy energy. Gumball just seemed to do that to him. Even when he wasn't doing anything he was always absolutely stunning and took Marshall's lungs away. He was quixotic, like unbelievably perfect. Maybe it was because he'd already fallen in love, and that thought scared him but also made him so happy.

Was it too early?

The younger teen went to put the cake in the fridge before returning to Marshall's side, plopping down in a chair that spun. He smiled and laughed just a bit, his soft pink lips that needed to be kissed turning up into a smile. "The most boring part is waiting for it to chill. It'll probably taste gross afterwards, too," Gumball said and leaned over the shiny surface of the kitchen island.

Marshall just shrugged and smirked. "At least the frosting was good."

"Exactly." Gumball propped his head up in his hand. "So, how should we pass the time?"

That was... a great question. Marshall could think of at least 5 ways to pass the time. If it was up to him, he would cuddle Gumball and tell him how beautiful he was and how much he completely adored him, and then he would kiss the hell out of him and ask Gumball to officially be his one and only because waiting to make it special felt fucking impossible. And that was the r-rated version. 

"I have no clue," he replied, digging into his thoughts for literally anything less extreme than the _other_ answer lingering in the back of his mind. "I can play you a song? Since I have my guitar today." Gumball gasped and clapped his hands together. The squeal he let out was tiny; it was like he was just seeing his favorite band for the first time, only it was Marshall Lee and not someone who was super cool and famous. But even if Marshall didn't think his hype was necessary it made him feel good that Gumball wanted to hear him play. 

"What are you going to play for me?" Gumball asked as he began to drag Marshall upstairs. The teen picked up his heavy guitar case on the way there, mostly stumbling and listening to Gumball ramble on about how it was going to be great. Marshall trailed behind him lazily and in thought. Soon the two were sitting cross-legged across from each other within the pink walls of Gumball's bedroom which might've been too much for Marshall at the moment, because he was kind of forced to look at Gumball like this and he wasn't sure he could handle looking at him for who knows how long without either planning their wedding or getting hard. In his defense, Gumball was pretty damn hot and he was still just a teenager.

"I um... don't know how to play that many songs on the acoustic guitar since I usually play electric and bass," Marshall warned as he went to grab his shiny guitar out of it's black case. It was smooth and a deep red color like the rest of his instruments. The guitar was still in perfect condition with barely a single scratch on it due to how little he played it. He did quite a bit of tuning though and looked over at Gumball quickly before staring at the ground. 

"It can be anything. I don't care, really, I just want you to play. It's okay if I don't know the song."

"You sure?" Marshall questioned and Gumball nodded, smiling. "Of course."

Gumball sat in amazement as Marshall strummed his guitar, the sound of the unfamiliar tune coming from it smooth and nice sounding in his ears. It wasn't the kind of song he'd expected Marshall to play; he had been expecting something maybe a little less soft with edgier lyrics. The teen also had a nice singing voice which took Gumball completely by surprise, but it was just another thing to put in his jar labeled 'Things I Like (a lot) About Marshall Lee'. He could definitely get used to this.

Marshall only kept his gaze on his hands the entire time he played but it didn't do much to ease his nervous energy. But he'd played this song numerous times while sitting alone in his bedroom and for Fionna while she gave him constructive criticism, so his fingers trailed along the strings expertly and created the perfect sound, and so even with shaky hands it was okay. He sang with his maple, brown eyes trained on himself, and when he looked up for the first time he was met with calm, happy and blue irises.

While Marshall played Gumball decided to tap his fingers against his magenta colored rug softly along to the rhythm. He grinned when Marshall did this thing that sounded really cool, and right in that moment he thought: 'he should be a star', but that thought was gone sooner than it came because Marshall had stopped strumming and left him with only the sound of his beating heart. He was smiling just barely as he rested his guitar over his lap, his fingers tapping against the red body of it faintly. "So?"

"So?" Gumball scoffed, "That was amazing, Marshall. You should absolutely consider performing for a crowd one day."

Marshall chuckled nervously and sat his guitar back in its case carefully. "Dunno. I prefer playing for a small group of special people. Makes me less fidgety, y'know? But maybe. "

"And i'm 'special people'?"

"always," he promised and Gumball smiled cheekily at him, pressing his hands into his warm cheeks. Marshall mentally patted himself on the back, high-fiving his brain for not allowing him to screw this up as well. "You really liked it?"

The pink haired boy nodded and his curls bounced gently. "It was perfect, thank you," Gumball reassured. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Marshall's cheek, letting his lips linger there for just a second longer before pulling away. It was a small token of his appreciation that seemed to mean a lot.

"You're welcome." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i have no excuse for my lack of updates. ive had writers block which sucks but still tho. i have two stories and so i had to decide which on to put my all into, but i had to go w/ tb&c bc thisis MY BABIE. so here's an update. hope ya dont hate me lol imma be back when i be back
> 
> cmnt mistakes or questions if u see or have any


	19. nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this has a lot of mistakes. I didn’t want to delay an update and plus I fell asleep writing this three times y’all. but I checked it as best as I could hopefully it’s okay

Marshall found himself becoming rather fond of the feel of Gumball's lips on his as they lip locked, a new and more urgent feel to it as Gumball straddled him. He was hyper-aware of those soft lips against his own, Gumball's hand tangled in his hair, and his own hand that was resting on the teen's waist, but very unaware of everything else. The position they were in was so dangerous as all it would take was just the smallest jolt to reveal his hard on that they were _both _oblivious to at the moment. Gumball let out a small whimper that definitely did little to help his boner, leaving both of them red and panting when they finally decided to pull away. 

"Let's keep going," Gumball blurted out those few words that came out wrong and startled them both. "I mean kissing! I don't want to stop yet, I... can we?"

Marshall's cheeks got even hotter. He would've had to be a complete idiot to deny, especially when Gumball was so extremely hot and was sitting only a few inches away from his raging boner that he only just noticed. Still, Marshall wasn't sure if it was such a good idea considering he was already worked up this much from just kissing and there hadn't even been any tongue involved. It was also true that at the same he couldn't get enough of Gumball and stopping here would be torture. 

He realized he didn't know how to say yes to that without making an complete utter fool of himself. He did what any other person would do and kissed Gumball with just enough emotion to cut through his fuzzy thoughts. Just enough to convey how strongly he felt for the boy, and also the dizzying 'yes's bouncing around in his mind. Marshall guessed he did a good job because soon Gumball was kissing him back with just as much passion, and he could feel the faint smile on the boy's lips. Gumball's soft fingers continued to thread through his dark locks which calmed his heart that was beating just a bit too fast.

If there was one thing he'd never get tired of, it was was this.

Staying cuddled in bed while Gumball told Marshall all about his hopes and dreams for the future was a nice way to spend the rest of their time together. Not even making out with the boy could compare to the soft caress of his voice as he spoke about the things he loved, and Marshall never failed to blush a vibrant color whenever Gumball smiled bright enough to replace the sun.

"I can't decide on what I should do," he spoke gently and hushed. "I know I want to be somebody that matters. I want to help others, even if it's a small thing, but..." 

bless his perfect, pretty fucking soul.

"I don't really think you should stress. I mean, you're so talented and smart that you could be anything you want to be. I bet colleges are fighting over you right now." Marshall smiled and gave him a peck on the forehead. Gumball could only blush and the older teen thought he was nothing short of perfection when his cheeks matched his hair. 

"No, I don't think so..." He mumbled into Marshall's sleeve and sighed. Marshall frowned at that, because maybe he was a bit biased but Gumball had to be the smartest fucking guy he'd ever known. Really, if anyone could do it, it was him, and the fact that Gumball didn't see himself that way made him a bit upset. When he looked at Gumball he saw potential, he saw beauty, and he saw someone who meant so much to him. 

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Because, Marshall, i'm not as great as you think I am. School is so stressful already and we're only still in high school. Imagine when I get into a college. I most likely won't even be able to keep up, I can't handle so much pressure."

"Hey," Marshall soothed, tilting Gumball's chin a bit so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "It's okay to get stressed. Senior year isn't easy for everyone, and you go to that prestigious school for super smart kids, so I know you have it rough. Still, you shouldn't let now get in the way of your future. If you wanna go to college then I say you should fucking apply, and we can deal with that bump in the road when it comes." 

"We?" The pink haired boy questioned, furrowing his brows. Marshall paled, "fuck, sorry, that just came out I--" he clamped his mouth shut quickly just to be sure that he didn't accidentally say something stupid.

"You don't have to apologize, Marshall. It's okay, I didn't know you thought about us that much ahead," Gumball spoke quietly, lacing his fingers with the older boy's to let him know he wasn't upset or anything. "Dating hasn't ever really been my thing. I wouldn't be here with you if I didn't plan on sticking around either."

Marshall blushed and nodded, his bottom lip trapped between his white teeth and he remained silent.

"Not to mention how easy you are to read. You're just out there, you know? It doesn't take a whole lot of effort to know you care, and I can see just how much you like me whenever we make eye contact. It's kind of perfect since I don't have time to worry about boy problems and school." Gumball laughed and smiled.

"Damn right," Marshall said as he slapped the hand that wasn't wrapped around Gumball's waist over his eyes. "So what Roald Dahl book am I, Willy Wonka?"

"Oh my g-- Marshall Lee! I— just stop talking and hold me or else i'm kicking you out," Gumball scolded with a fake irritated voice. There was the tiniest sliver of laughter pooling behind his words though, so he just cuddled closer the the lanky teen and closed his eyes.

"aye aye captain," Marshall mumbled in response and— as ordered— held Gumball like his life depended on it.

-

"Whoever made curfew is a bitch ass," Marshall grumbled as he gathered his belongings, a scowl on his face because now he was going to have to go home without Gumball and deal with his dad's tea addiction. Plus, he was still half asleep from their cuddle session and desperately missing his boy's warmth because he was just always cold. "Can't believe I have to go home. And school tomorrow on top of that? Utter bullshit."

Gumball shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Profanity, Marshall," he said with a small smile. 

"Why don't you wait until my family comes home? I can drive you back to your house, and you can spend--" he peeked at the time on the oven, "five more minutes with me?"

"You drive?" Marshall questioned with a raised brow. Gumball shrugged. "Why didn't I know this?"

"You never asked for one. Second, people are terrible drivers, so I prefer to stay off the road when I can." 

Marshall thought about it in his head for a bit before deciding that it was a reasonable reason. Besides that, it was almost curfew and most likely he'd be doing some fast paced walking even if he left right now. The offer to stay with Gumball for those few minutes would've normally been something he wouldn't have passed on but he wasn't sure dealing with his dad's attitude was a good way to end his night. The sun was already set and the sky had been enveloped in darkness so Marshall shook his head and began to pull on his shoes. "It's fine," he said and gave a lopsided grin.

"Okay." Gumball nodded. Marshall kept the same large grin on his face as he finished tying his dirty laces and stood.

"Is it just me or am I missing something?" The pale teen tapped his chin in fake thought. "Ah, how could I forget! My farewell kiss!" He flirted jokingly, shaking his head. Gumball rolled his eyes at him but he didn't complain not a single bit as soft kisses were planted all over his forehead, cheeks, and the tip of his nose before their lips finally connected. Marshall smirked at the way Gumball leaned into him just as he began to pull away.

"Sweet. Catch ya' later, g-ball!"

Gumball closed and locked the door behind Marshall, rushing over to the window and peeked between the curtains so he could catch just the tiniest glimpse of the tall male before he was completely gone. He sighed and slumped back against the wall, burying his head in his palms as he shook his head.

It was true, he really didn't like dating in the slightest bit. It made him feel like he was being needy and dragged out all of his insecurities and he hated how every relationship he'd even seen all seemed to end tragically. Despite all of that, being with Marshall made him feel safe and wanted, like he didn't have to be anyone other than himself, and that was a new feeling. One he welcomed with open arms. Gumball blushed thinking about how sweet the boy always is to him, and they aren't even officially together yet but Marshall never fails to make him feel like a prince. Never.

Marshall's smile, his sense of humor, his wild hair, even just his voice leaves Gumball a little weak in the knees. He hopes he won't ever forget the time they spend together. Gumball wonders how long until they make it official.

Gumball walked into the kitchen and swiped a bit of frosting from their half eaten (and surprisingly delicious) cake on his finger before placing it back in the fridge gently. He flicked the light switch and walked up the stairs to his bedroom as everything downstairs became swallowed in darkness, keeping in mind that there was no monster coming to get him. When he finally reached his room he sighed and dropped down in his desk chair, picking up a random pencil and tapping it against the hard surface. With Marshall gone there was nothing to do besides study; he hadn't even been away for 10 minutes yet and Gumball missed him so much.

He cracked open a random textbook and grabbed his notebooks, highlighters, and his glasses out of his bag. His phone buzzed on the desk so he picked it up to check the notification.

_**marsh ♡: **just fucken got home my dad keeps yelling at me as he sips his tea _

Gumball chuckled at that and shot him back a quick '_good luck & good night <3' _before turning off his phone completely, focusing on studying for that test he had tomorrow that he already knew he'd pass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might not update this again for a while. finals drained me, guys. I think this is 1.8k words or something close so hope you enjoyed.


	20. short hiatus

This story will be going on break. It's not permanent (obviously), but we will probably continue the story sometime next month _give_ or take depending on how much time we have to spend on this story.

Vamps is very sick right now and is going through a few things in her personal life regarding her mental health so she doesn't have the time or energy to write. I would usually update for her whenever she can't and besides that I just edit chapters and make them suck BAHAHA. Besides that i'm a very busy person too so I don't have a chance to stop and write since I come home from work and instantly go to sleep. We both have a lot of stress from school as well and I have to pay bills so we're choosing to focus on our real life responsibilities before updating again.

also it is currently 4 AM as i'm writing this and i only remembered to because Vamps cussed me out on discord because I forgot to post this. Anyways, fuck her for making me type all this with my long fingers that look ugly when i tYpe >;( now im going to sleep because i gotta go to work at 6 yikes bye

^^ get well soon heffa


	21. twenty

Marshall felt ecstatic as he made his way over to the usual room that he met Gumball in. The library was barely occupied today which meant he'd finally got a chance to check out that book he wanted for so long, which meant that today was a splendid Monday afternoon. There was also something about the sight of that familiar beautiful face that just made him feel much more overjoyed than he already did. It really didn't matter what kind of day he was having because whenever he saw Gumball it never failed to get even better. 

He sat his bag down and sat down in one of the chairs, a huge grin on his face.

"Um... hi?" Gumball greeted with a confused look on his face. He was used to seeing Marshall happy but not like he just ate a whole bag of sugar. It was a bit funny though since he enjoyed seeing Marshall like this considering he had a very nice smile. A very nice face in general. 

"Heyyyy," Marshall said as he spun around in his chair. Mostly to burn some of his energy but also because he felt that he couldn't stay still or else he would die. It was still a library so it wasn't like he could just run around or yell or play guitar loudly like he would at home, so this would have to work for now. It probably wouldn't though, since Gumball's face was distracting him and making him feel all giddy again. He really couldn't help himself when the words left his mouth.

"Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are? You should probably become like, a model.... or something."

And then he fell out of his chair.

"The answer is literally 12. It's right there inside of my eyes, I just did the math!" Marshall said and pointed to the mostly incorrect work scribbled on his paper, Gumball shaking his head and pinching the bridge of nose.

"That doesn't make sense! And Marshall no, you have to multiply this by itself first _before_ you divide!"

"Ughhh--You keep distracting me with your face!" he whined and erased the work for the...3rd time. Technically he wasn't lying, Gumball's face was a distraction. But not on purpose! Marshall would always look over at him and instantly lose his train of thought which resulted in him forgetting the steps completely because he couldn't focus on much other than how much he wanted to kiss the boy next to him. It was annoying to have to keep redoing the same problem over and over but it _was_ his fault that he kept getting it wrong in the end.

Gumball rolled his eyes, "Okay i'm wearing a mask next time we meet. This is unacceptable."

"Um i'd just look under the mask wouldn't I? Probably..."

"Marshall Lee!"

"Okay, okay, i'm working!"

As expected, Marshall did fairly well on his homework since Gumball stopped paying attention to his attempts at flirting instead buried himself in some boring novel that Marshall swore wasn't nearly as cool as him. Math wasn't half as hard as it used to be since he somewhat understood the logic behind it now but he still didn't understand the purpose of fractions or exponents or any of that bullshit. Why did all of this matter in life? Marshall had no clue.

Since he had lots of homework it meant that he didn't really get to talk to Gumball at all unless he was asking questions. He wished the boy would at least keep him a bit company but Marshall figured he would have to settle for their shared side glances as he filled out the sheet in front of him.

"Hey Gumball? Well even thought you're not talking to me since you're too hot, I was thinking..." He paused, suddenly nervous. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to just tutor me at one of our houses? Since we know each other better, plus the walk distance is shorter? I won't try to jump you by surprise if that's what you're thinking in that noggin' of yours."

Gumball seriously chuckled at that right as he turned the page of his book. And it sounded seriously heavenly. Much more pleasing to the ear than it usually was, and Marshall Lee suspected that it had something to do with how deprived he was of Gumball's nice voice.

"I will definitely consider that, Marshall. For now, though, have you finished your work?"

"I'm almost done. Can you help me on this one?"

Marshall pretty much absorbed whatever came out of Gumball's mouth, whether it was a single flirty sentence or the steps to a math problem, so his homework seemed to get done much faster with his help. Unlike his teachers, Gumball was patient and worked at his pace. Well that was the perks of having a tutor for anyone but Gumball wasn't just _anyone_ offering their smarts for money. He was nice, gentle, and he helped Marshall feel confident in his work, which was something he was more than thankful for. Gumball pointed out the steps for him and wrote small little tips on the side of his paper if he knew something was particularly tricky.

"This okay?" He asked and bit his lip, handing Marshall back his pencil.

"Yeah I get it now. Are you going to finish ignoring me until i'm done with this?" Marshall joked though it was a genuine question. He didn't mean that Gumball had to entertain him or anything like that but he seriously didn't like being ignored. And who knows how many pieces his heart would shatter into if the teen actually showed up in a mask next time.

"I won't if you don't get distracted. When you're done we'll still have time to talk a bit so if you work seriously you can have any reward you want," Gumball told him and smiled.

That smile alone could get him to do anything. It encouraged him to finish his work quicker and think about what kind of reward he wanted. Maybe he wanted a cool pack of scratch & sniff stickers. Or an apple, even. Maybe he just wanted a nice hug after being ignored for all that time. Marshall did want to wrap his arms around Gumball securely and never let him go, to breathe in his sweet scent and sincerely thank him for today. That seemed like a good enough reward that soon he was finishing up after only a few minutes.

Marshall checked his answers for good measure and corrected the ones where he made a mistake on small things. He really couldn't afford to turn in any half assed work so he had to get it as right as he knew how to. His grades were getting better but they would easily fall back down to an F again if he went around making obvious mistakes left and right. It was his final year so he wanted to do good. He didn't have to be the smartest but he did have to work hard for not only himself but for his dad, and for Gumball too. Every assignment mattered when his teacher was a dumb fuck for made homework count as most of his grade.

"M' done," Marshall announced. He realized how tired his brain felt. "This took like...12 years..."

"Hm...that's a long time," Gumball said with a faint smile as he put his book into his bag carefully. Marshall could see how neat and organized everything looked inside of his bag compared to his own that seemed like everything was shoved inside and was a mix of sheet music and actual work he has to turn in. It was kind of cute how Gumball seemed so immaculate next to Marshall, who was a human mess, yet they easily found themselves in a sprouting romance with each other

"Well, I am a person of my word. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Anything, right?"

"That's what I said, correct?" 

Marshall figured he could probably get away with a hug anytime he wanted. It didn't take very long for him to come up with something else since the first thing that popped up in his mind, he realized he wanted that more than ever. His heart began to race promptly.

"Let me take you out then. Like on a date, I mean. That counts right?"

He tried hard to remain calm. After all, they were still sitting in a library, so he didn't really have much of a choice. Gumball was just as or more affected than he was though, since he hadn't been expecting that. He would've been less surprised if Marshall had asked for anything else. But a date? That was much different than asking for money or food or a kiss. A deep blush crept onto his freckled cheeks and he gaped. He was shocked, yes, but it was very true that he wanted to go on a date with Marshall as well. Gumball was happy as well as he was surprised.

"I would love to go on a date with you, Marshall Lee." Gumball ran a hand through his curly pink hair. 

"Good, cause' I would've cried myself to sleep tonight if you ended up saying no. Not that you would cause' i'm such a hottie" Marshall winked. "When do you have time? I know you're probably busy studying and stuff this week..."

Gumball bit his lip as he thought. He was busy Tuesday and Wednesday since he had to go to that dumb two day yoga class after school with his sister, and Thursday they had their tutoring session plus he had to study at home, so that was out for sure. Friday he was stuck after school due to some learning sessions for freshmen I volunteered to help with. "I only have time today and Saturday, and since everything closes early on Sundays..."

Marshall only shrugged and smiled a bit, showing off his white teeth. "Okay, then we'll do Saturday if you wanna since that's also a good time since we won't have school!"

For some reason planning a date was a lot less stressful than either of them thought it'd be. Marshall was now fully aware of how fucking busy Gumball was too. It wasn't dramatic like how it seemed in a movie. A date was just two people who liked each other having fun, right? 

"That works for me," Gumball answered. "May I ask what you could possibly have planned?"

"Nope, nope, nopeee! It's gonna be a surprise!" He smirked and leaned to rest his head on his knuckles. He didn't know exactly where he should take Gumball but he had all week to figure it out. Something that would be nice for them both, but also something that fulfilled his desire to keep the pretty teenager all to himself. It was a good thing he'd been saving up too because there weren't very many cool things to look at and do in this town for free. 

Gumball whined about it for a little bit but when he realized Marshall really wasn't going to speak then he gave up. "Alright then. I'm looking forward to it," Gumball ended.

Marshall suddenly remembered the book he checked out and figured he could show it to Gumball and they could go trough it and see what songs they thought were cool. His eyes widened a bit as he reaching inside of his bag and grabbed the book carefully. It was in good shape thankfully and he very much so wanted to return it that way. It was a cool book.

"Hey, look," he said and Gumball instantly turned to Marshall who was holding up the book was an expression that could've been cute and innocent if only it wasn't Marshall making that fact. "It has the chords to a bunch of cool songs so I was thinking you could help me pick out a few to play, and then when I learn it I can play it for you and Fi one day..."

"Fi?" Marshall went wide eyed. Had he never mentioned her to Gumball?

"She's my best friend. She's pretty cool other than how madly in love with this redhead guy named Flame. He's such a dick. Anyways, you and Fi would get along... she's kind of like me, but a girl? And slightly more filtered. Ahh, I love her." He told Gumball, flipping through the pages and skimming to see if he saw any song he recognized. 

"What a coincidence— I think I know that Flame guy. But your friend sounds nice. I can't wait to meet her." The pink haired boy smiled.

"Definitely one day. But for now help me pick these songs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my writing might not be the best since im still a tad sick and im going through very many personal things. i needed to write this to get my mind off of things but also because i missed my stories. people probably dont even read these but if you see this i'd like to say thank you for reading my fanfics. they aren't perfect but im trying very hard right now. for myself and for others... lol  
also: ostrichbitchboy was busy with work so i had to edit this alone :'(


	22. twenty-one

Gumball was beginning to dislike school. It was time consuming and tiring, and it was beginning to take a toll on his sleep too. The only things keeping him awake was chocolate, coffee, and Marshall Lee's texts which were seriously the light of his life right about now. He was really sad that they hadn't been able to meet today and plus he was tired from all of today's activities but Marshall made him feel significantly less crappy and a lot cared for. Because they weren't able to see each other Gumball settled for wearing his hoodie instead which still smelled a bit like Marshall, and engulfed him in a comfortable warmth while he revised notes.

"Bonnibeau! Dinner!" His mom called from outside of his bedroom with a short knock on his door, distracting him from the blinding neon pink color of high highlighter. He sighed and closed his eyes in a long blink.

"Coming!" He replied after a bit in a small shout before getting up from his chair. Gumball slipped on a pair of socks to shield himself from the cold air that was literally everywhere except for him bedroom, but was too lazy to change out of his shorts so they would probably be no good. He texted Marshall back quickly before making his way downstairs.

"What are we having?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen, peeking over his mom's shoulder with ease due to their height difference. Marshall had totally tricked him into believing he was short when in reality the other male was just abnormally tall. The lady swatted him away with a playful smile and he planted a kiss on her cheek before going to wash his hands. "Where's Bon?"

"She's staying at a friend's house tonight. Looks like it'll just be us tonight." Gumball nodded but she didn't see him. He dried his hands carefully after washing them and helped her carry the things to their table. Since it was just the two of them it wasn't like there was a lot to carry, just their food, drinks, and silverware. Usually his mom was the kind to usher him out of the kitchen and not allow him to help with anything for no reason whatsoever. It wasn't that he was irresponsible or can't cook, but for some reason she just liked to do it all on her own.

Gumball sat down in a chair after his mom did, and after praying and thanking her for the meal they started to eat. As usual, it was mostly quiet with just the background noise of their TV echoing through their big house and a bit of small talk. It wasn't really awkward because they were both busy stuffing their faces anyways. Gumball was almost able to forget about the stress from his school work as the creamy Alfredo sauce blessed his taste buds. His mom's cooking was simply the best.

"I like the red on you," His mom suddenly spoke up. "It's different but nice. Is that new?"

Gumball chewed his food before looking down at the hoodie covering his torso. He was supposed to take it off but somehow he hadn't been bothered enough to do so, but he really didn't want to get any food on it. He would still have to wash and return it so it would be okay, but even then he didn't know if he'd have the guts to. Gumball had practically adopted the piece of clothing into his everyday fashion-- if his school uniform allowed it then he'd never take it off. "Oh, it isn't mine. I'll have to return it soon..." 

"What a nice friend to let you borrow their things," She said with a smile before taking a sip of her water. Gumball also smiled, contemplating if he wanted her to know that Marshall was actually more than a friend of his, or if it was better to wait until he saw how the date went. It would probably go fine but he wanted to be able to tell her more than just 'oh, he's that nice guy I was tutoring and surprise, we made out!'

"A great friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> srry for not updating. im currently working on a new story that iwanted to give attention so i didnt update this. this update is also very short but ive done worse...


	23. twenty-two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the reference video is worth checking out. I recently played this song for my school band and it sounded really cool. I was so bored that I decided what the hell, a filler chapter where Marshall is just musically inclined as usual. i added the links to the cover + the actual song, for people who have somehow never heard that masterpiece before. the song is played w/ an eg but it sounds good on bass as well, just liked the eg cover much better!

[green day -cover](https://youtu.be/GIlx5wEr4T0)   
[GMNC -green day](https://youtu.be/ZKAwIwjHwZI)

Marshall and Gumball were both busy this week. Between their date, and their educational duties, there was barely any time for them to spare for one another. They managed to sneak in a few text conversations here and there and short video calls which Marshall had fell asleep on, snoring away because he hadn't slept in 12 hours. He had many finals and Gumball was proud that he was doing great on them so far. Marshall was stoked to see that he managed a B on his history quiz and a A- on his math final. The rest of his finals were saved for Monday, next week, which meant that he would be able to see Gumball as a reward for passing the tests he'd already taken. Gumball was equally happy for him but neither boys were as elated as Matthew, who celebrated with apple pie for himself (mostly) and his son. The man posted all about it on his Facebook page and all of Marshall's aunts and uncles congratulated his hard work in the comments using the wrong emojis. It wasn't as awkward as that would seem actually--it was more hilarious if anything.

Right now, they had a bit of time to sneak in for a video call. Gumball had to go to his sister's science fair presentation in a bit but he decided to surprise Marshall with a call, and he didn't regret it in the slightest bit. Marshall answered the call and Gumball was instantly greeted with maple brown eyes and a lot of nostril, but Marshall finally propped his phone up on the nearest surface and smiled big. "Hey!" He greeted, sounding a bit like a child in how excited he was, but it was adorable. Gumball didn't think the word adorable would ever fit when describing Marshall. "I was just going to call and show you this new tune I learned on my electric guitar! I already mastered the bass version of it so..."

Gumball grinned. "Well, lets hear it!"

Honestly, Gumball had never been one for loud music. He much preferred quiet music that he could play in the background while he thought to himself, but there was no denying that Marshall played beautifully. Even if his music taste wasn't Gumball's favorite, he would still listen. the plus side was that he would be able to complain about his broken ears another time while they were joking around. He watched as Marshall repositioned his phone and moved around his room in a flurry of motions. The teen had hauled his amp across the room and plugged the cords into the shiny red instrument and the outlet in his wall so fast that Gumball could barely keep up. Marshall pulled his guitar strap over his head full of messy hair and smiled. "One day, i'll play you your own song-- I'll make one for you. Until then, think you can settle for Green Day?"

"Of course I can," Gumball replied cheerily. He'd taken the time to settle on top of his bed, propping his phone up of the mountain of pillows and stuffies. He silently prayed his mother wouldn't call him to go before this was over. "What song will you play?"

"It's a surprise. Maybe you'll know it, maybe you won't." Marshall's smile quirked into a smirk quickly as he flipped on his amp. He adjusted the volume a bit, being cautious of his dad downstairs who was watching _Hell's Kitchen. _He turned the knob until it was loud enough for just he and Gumball to hear it, and not their old neighbors who would have a seizure at the slightest loud noise. Gumball's excited look urged him onward, and he quickly fixed himself into position. 

Marshall escaped into his own little world as his guitar came to life. There was Gumball, of course, always Gumball. But it was mostly just himself and the wondrous sounds that came from music in itself. Before his mom was gone, before he'd met Fionna, and much before his dad was addicted to tea, there was always his instruments. His bass, electric, and acoustic guitars had always kept him company. The audience was just a plus side to it all. He had barely even kept note of his voice as it spilled from his mouth in the form of song lyrics. He clenched his eyes shut and concentrated on letting the music flow through him, putting every emotion he had into the words.

"Drain the pressure from the swelling,"  
"The sensation's overwhelming,"  
"Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright-"  
"Tell me that I won't feel a thing,"  
"So give me Novocaine."

And, god, did Marshall nail that solo. He played it like it was his own and he felt good about it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was wondering if Gumball was enjoying it but that was it. Most of him had went blank afterwards, and he'd--ironically enough-- become numb to the dull ache forming in his hands and wrist, and his arms. He felt like a god standing on top of the world until eventually the song had ended and he had been zapped back into reality, but it wasn't so miserable. There was still adrenaline pumping through his veins from playing one of his favorite songs ever and even better, Gumball was still on the other end. All Marshall could make out was his wide blue eyes and pink hair poking out at the bottom of the screen which looked kind of funny. Marshall laughed breathlessly as he turned off the amp. He unplugged the guitar afterwards and placed it back on it's stand. "Thoughts?" He asked Gumball as he picked up his phone and plopped on his bed. His arms were sore from holding the somewhat heavy instrument and his lanky arms barely had any strength to hold up his phone.

"Very nice. Perfect. You sound like an angel, oh my donut glaze. I'm so glad I screen recorded the entire thing!"

Marshall jumped. "Delete that!"

Gumball laughed. "No! I'm keeping it! That way, when i'm very lonely I can listen to your beautiful voice. Why would I ever delete such a perfect piece of art?"

They both blushed at that. Marshall turned to his phone which was still facing the ceiling due to his laziness and sighed. He couldn't wait for Saturday to come because he really did miss Gumball. Talking on the phone was really different than seeing him in person. He missed hugging Gumball, the taste of his lips, and more importantly he just missed his company. His dad was cool and all but he was...well, a dad. Fionna was a great best friend and person to hang out with in the platonic sense. Gumball was different because Marshall liked him in a much newer sense, because he did things like compliment Marshall's voice after taking the time to listen to him play, despite his busy schedule. He was smiling at nothing and he hadn't even realized he was grinning foolishly.

Marshall took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, to calm the butterflies in his stomach that were moving upwards and filling both of his lungs. "Hey, Gumball?"

"Yes?" Gumball answered calmly.

_sayitsayitsayitsayit-_

"Thanks for listening to me play. It uh... it means a lot," he confessed.

_patience, self._

"I know, Marshall. You really are talented by the way. I'd never pass up a chance to see you happy," Gumball told him with an anonymous smile. "Aaand my mother is calling me..."

"Do you have to go right now?" 

Knowing that it wasn't enough time for either of them, Gumball hummed sadly. "Yes. I'll send you a text when i'm done with this, okay? If you're still awake i'll call you back?"

Marshall sighed, "'Kay then. I'll see you Saturday, I guess."

"Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate dallying, so the date chapter will probably be in another chapter or two.


	24. twenty-three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw; violence (short scene and not very detailed but still)

Somehow being around Marshall had made everyone else around Gumball much less tolerable. He was starting to become more than just frustrated with the rumors surrounding Marshall's name because they were all so wrong. Gumball knew that the most Marshall would probably do was crack an egg on someones head, maybe pour cold water on someone in their sleep or something. That was a very long stretch from the things Gumball's classmates accused him of. He'd witnessed first hand that Marshall wasn't even equipped with the conscious to really hurt anyone who didn't _actually_ deserve it. The teen didn't do anything besides sit at home all day; Marshall's schedule was literally becoming: wake up, think about Gumball, school, think about Gumball, come home, think about Gumball, study, think about Gumball, sleep. He was harmless. Mostly.

Today, when Flame came around running his mouth, Gumball's tolerance was very, very low. It was way below his feet low. Because telling his sister about he and Marshall's date did not go well and her bitchiness was already stressing him out. He was buried ass deep in school work and that was the only thing keeping him from wasting his time overthinking about it.

"He's a mess!" Flame told him in a high pitched hiss. "You can't seriously be considering dating that psychopath?!" All Gumball was able to do was slump back in his seat and wait patiently for him to shut up. Of course he was going to say yes if Marshall asked him out. Who knew when was the next time he'd meet a hot guy who treated him with respect? Who was an actual sweetheart and not just in it for their own satisfaction? That was rare. Gumball wasn't that much of an idiot to pass that up. Everything was flying smooth enough until Flame never stopped talking, and it was like Gumball's self control had dissolved into nothing.

"Can you actually just shut up?" Gumball snapped at the red haired male, who clamped his mouth shut in disbelief the moment Gumball's words processed in his mind. Flame's face turned a red color across his cheeks and ears and he stared at Gumball blankly, and then his face went hard and his jaw clenched in a second.

"Whatever" he said with a sneer at Gumball in the same tone. "That scumbag is only going to get you stuck in jail or dead in a ditch! Are you too dumb to realize or do you just not care?!"

Gumball scrunched his face up. "You have no authority to speak to me that way. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but my personal life has nothing to do with you. I don't even know you that well. In any case, keep Marshall's name out of your mouth. He doesn't deserve to be talked about like that," he argued.

Flame bit the inside of his cheek in frustration and tugged Gumball by his collar, using his obvious strength difference to dominate the teen. But Gumball stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest, letting the male crinkle his collar to his hearts content. He wouldn't change his mind about Marshall if he got beat up or bullied for the rest of the year, that was obvious. The only thing that was changing was that he liked Flame much, much less than he did a few minutes ago. 

"You really are stupid." Flame released him with a shove, shaking his head. "I hope he breaks your heart, so you know what it feels like to be in love with a damn loser."

"Seriously? That's what this is about?" Gumball's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're totally just jealous that it's Marshall and not you, aren't you? Is that why you're having a crybaby fit about it? Oh my god..."

Flame flared. "Yes! I'm standing right here! I have everything he doesn't! That idiot has nothing to live for—he's probably got all kinds of things wrong with him! He should just fucking kill himself-"

And really, Flame had it coming. None of the people staring at them in the cafeteria had room to feel bad for the redhead when Gumball's fist smashed into his face. He had real audacity trying to give that half-assed confession at a time like this, while insulting Gumball's love interest. Gumball punched him again for that, and another time just because he fucking deserved it, and he only felt satisfied when Flame's nose and busted lip dripped red onto the shiny floors. The redhead launched himself forward at Gumball and the both of them went down. Gumball hit the ground first and Flame punched him back with equal force before the two were being pulled away from each other.

"Fuck you," the tan boy shouted at Gumball angrily, spit flying from his mouth.

"Ew! Don't talk in my direction! Gross!"

-

1 week suspension. 

It left a sour taste in Gumball's mouth but he knew it was coming. His school was strict and there was no way the principle would've let him off the line without some kind of punishment. This was much better than what Flame got anyways, which was suspension and cleaning duty for a week, as well as weekend detention. Even though Gumball started the actual fight, Flame was "very hurtful with his comments and a few surrounding peers felt uncomfortable". Gumball felt satisfied knowing that Flame would be sitting in a dusty classroom on Saturday while he enjoyed his date with Marshall. 

He did wonder how his mom would take this. Gumball had never been suspended before nor had he ever been in a serious fight. Ever. She might see his busted lip and slightly bruised jaw and think he was being bullied before he eventually forced himself to show her the white slip of paper the principle told him to give to his parent or guardian. On his way home, Gumball wondered if she would be worried or angry, or maybe just disappointed in his actions. Gumball would never hit another person without reason and he had a good reason to fight today. He wouldn't let a little intimidation change his mind about the things he stood for. Marshall was one of those things, whether he got all busted up or not.

The pink haired teen entered his home with a sigh and cringed at the look his mom gave him. He dropped his bag beside him and took off his shoes, and then he took off his uniform jacket, grimacing at the dried spit from earlier. He refused to wear it ever again even if it was washed until the color faded.

"Home early?" His mother asked him with furrowed brows, her lips parted slightly as she tried to gather the rest of her words.

"I got in a bit of trouble in class today..." He mumbled. Gumball ran a hand through his hair to loosen the gel and it came apart in messy curls. He groaned at the ache in his limbs but decided it was nothing a bit of rest couldn't help. Gumball walked around into the kitchen to grab a glass of water to occupy himself even if he wasn't actually thirsty.

"Are you okay, though?" The lady followed her son. "Your face is bruising. How did this happen?"

"I was just... sticking up for Marshall Lee. My classmates _really_ hate him for people who don't even know who he is..."

She furrowed her brows in thought and then her face went neutral again. "The one that Bonnie was going on about?" Gumball sighed and nodded his head as he poured water into a clean cup. "He must be very important to you if you ruin your pretty face for him," she said with a quiet chuckle.

"Marshall is very important to me. That's why I want everyone to like him but it seems like that's not happening. It's fine. I don't need everyone to like him, I just need people to put a little respect to his name," Gumball said seriously. "I know you might not agree with our relationship right now but I ask that you be kind to him. Please? You're the only person who seems to understand..."

"Of course," she agreed. "I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, after all, I've never met him before. I promise to be nice to your little crush. Is he nice to you? Good looking?"

"He's perfect. And yes, he's good looking to answer your second question." Gumball sipped his water and turned to hide his blushing face. 

God, yes. Marshall was very good looking. It made him flustered all the time. Gumball wanted to make out with him until his face melted off and then some more. His looks? Hot. His personality? Hot. The fact that he exists? So fucking hot. Serious spank bank material right there. Marshall was only _cute_ when he couldn't stop blushing and when he looked at Gumball like he was an angel. He was so adorable on the inside, much like a teddy bear waiting to be hugged. Sometimes. Mostly, he was just really hot. But those were thoughts Gumball mostly kept to himself.

"Good to know. I think i'd prefer the doors in this house very much unlocked."

"Of course. We'll just leave the door wide open," Gumball said and his mom wagged her finger at him warningly before also letting out a small chuckle herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ary has been busy the entire month and I was NOT going to update without running the chapters past him first. I have a bunch of prewritten drafts that I remembered to send to him for checking, but unfortunately this chapter did not make the pick so it’s not the best.


	25. twenty-four

Marshall felt like death snatched his soul out of his body and replaced the emptiness with a brand new and gleaming one. Today was the kind of day that made him want to wear bright colors and take a stroll around town, maybe wave at his neighbors, get something healthy for breakfast. But Marshall didn't own any bright colors so instead he settled for his favorite cereal and a wild phone call with Fionna. It was like... a mini sun was hovering over his head spreading all the good vibes he would ever need. It was more than enough feel good for one person, and Marshall couldn't wait to share it with Gumball and all of his beautiful self.

Their date was at 4 and Marshall and pretty much spent his entire day gushing over the pink haired boy much to his dad's demise, drinking fruit punch until his tongue was stained red, and skipping around his house. No part of the home went untouched by Marshall's emotion induced blizzard, and like a small child he made a mess everywhere he went. Matthew cleaned up behind him obviously but not without complaint. He decided to give his son a break-- to be fair it was his_ "special-est day in the whole world". _

"Holy fuck nugs I have to get ready!" Marshall suddenly screeched, scrambling up from where he was laying on the kitchen floor. The time read 2:30 PM, and Marshall needed at least an hour just to shower and comb his hair. Never mind trying to figure out what he was going to wear. He climbed the stairs in a hurry and almost tripped trying to get to his bedroom. It was hard to properly function when one half of his brain was playing heavy metal, while the other half of his brain was humming Leona Lewis, for some reason. He thanked his dad for that.

He tore apart his closet with abandon searching for the perfect outfit. It must've been some invisible force pulling him towards his old cat sweater because when he found it, it was like everything in his life made sense. It was cozy and grey, with a red kitty on the chest, and it used to be one of his favorite things ever. He hadn't worn it in like a year due to his room being too messy for him to find it. Apparently his dad washed it and put it up for him which was nice. It was perfect for the transition into the colder weather. Marshall tossed a clean pair of jeans to the side and checked the time on his phone again. His panic continued.

He hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower water to something close to boiling temp, and then he got undressed in record time before stepping under the hot water. The heat turned his pale skin a light pink color and he still thought it might be too cold, but he didn't bother with adjusting it. He scrubbed at his body thoroughly, though in a bit of a haste, and then he washed his hair. Anything involving Marshall's hair was a deathly and traumatic experience. Washing, combing, styling. All of it scared him and took a little chunk of his soul. He washed carefully as to not get his fingers stuck in it's thickness, and had to keep reminding himself that nobody wants to date the guy who's hair looks and smells like depression and neglect. Hopefully.

Marshall brushed his teeth while also managing to properly dry his hair. Surprisingly, his locks were pliable under the comb and brush, and Marshall styled his hair just to show his little bit of effort since it was a good hair day. He got dressed afterwards, incredibly happy that he could still fit his sweater despite having it for a while. He pulled on his underwear and then his black jeans onto his legs and buttoned them after adjusting himself and swore to never wear skinny jeans again. An empty promise, of course, but he wasn't thinking that at the moment. He slipped on socks and tucked his phone and wallet into his pocket, making sure to pick up Gumball’s gift (that he bought beforehand due to impatience) before meeting his dad downstairs.

Matthew was shoving what was left of his sandwich in his mouth and almost choked when he saw his son. He looked more decent than he did on any other day, and without his fringe covering his eyes it felt like there was something fresh about his appearance. Marshall’s features looked undeniably more stunning without his hair in the way. Matthew was very proud to say that he had a handsome son. He swallowed his food and smiled largely at the teen who was shifting back and forth nervously.

"What? Do I look bad?" Marshall asked worriedly, looking himself up and down.

"Not at all. It’s a nice look on you," Matthew motioned to his outfit. "You look like you care.”

Marshall bit his lip in thought for a second. "Do you think Gumball will like it?"

"He’d like you even if you showed up jean shorts and a white shirt."

"That's such a dad outfit, dad," Marshall snorted. He glanced at the time on his phone. "But thanks. I should probably go now..."

The teen wandered off in search for his shoes which he'd thrown somewhere during his rampage. He decided to ditch his dirty red converse in exchange for his all black pair that he wore much less frequently, but they still fit the same. The point was that they were cleaner and newer. He slipped the shoes on lazily and tied the laces in a neat bunny loop. Marshall took a deep breath and then smiled to himself, and then at his dad. Matthew didn't mention how happy he looked at the moment and instead waved the teen off with a proud expression. His son had grew so much as an individual and it was heart warming to see him becoming someone better. He was making better decisions—unlike most teenage boys his age. He was fitting in with a nice crowd. Small, but nice. Matthew was glad that Marshall and Gumball had met. He should’ve been mad that his son was dating his tutor but who was he to deny his son happiness?

Gumball made him happy. Put a pep in his step. Gumball was a beacon of goodness in his life, right next to his dad and Fionna. Gumball was an important part of his life and maybe it was too early to say but Marshall would still love him the same even if they weren't romantically involved with one another. There was just something about him that made the teen glow inside, made him feel warm and fuzzy all over, made his heart race and his stomach clench in the best way. He wanted Gumball in his life. that was the whole point of this date-- Marshall couldn't bare the thought of losing him to some other person and give up his something good. Marshall needed this to be perfect because for the first time in his life he was serious about someone. The entire walk Marshall was smiling and blushing as he went over plans.

Finally reaching his house, Marshall forced himself to calm down. He clutched Gumball's gift in his hand and went up to ring the doorbell with nervous hands, but he shoved them at his sides and breathed in and out. He reminded himself that it would just be he and Gumball together and that there was nothing to be worried about. Gumball wouldn't judge his anxiety, if anything he might try to console him. Marshall shook his head and managed a small smile at that. The door swung open to reveal a girl who looked just a bit older than Gumball, though they looked oddly similar. It was almost like if Gumball had turned into a girl...

"You're Bonnibeau's date?" She asked cautiously, eyeing the wrapped gift in Marshall's hand before looking him in the eyes. She squinted at him and Marshall gulped harshly under her antagonizing glare. She took the gift from his hand and inspected it.

"That would be me." The teen said with a weary smile. "I'm Marshall Lee."

"I already know who you are. I'll admit, you're much better looking in person," she said and tapped her chin in thought. "Much taller too..."

Marshall cringed. "Right. Thanks. Um, is Gumball here?"

"I don't know. Do you actually like my brother or are you just in it for sex? I am not going to let you hurt him.”

Okay, ouch. Marshall internally flinched at that and tried his hardest to keep his face neutral. When Gumball said his family hated Marshall, he didn't actually think it was this bad. He expected a few sly comments here and there, not a full on attack before their first date.

"I may have kicked a few alley cats before but i’m a proper lover," Marshall jokingly told her with a plastic grin. "Don't worry. I'm not in this for sex or bragging rights, or whatever. I just really like him and I want to take him on a date. If you'll call him down for me?"

Bonnibel poked out her lip before nodding. "Hey, Bub! Your emo boyfriend is here to pick you up for your date!"

There was an awkward crashing noise, followed by a tiny screech noise before the pink haired boy came sliding into view. He practically flew across the shiny floors in colorful socks and his face was a bright red color. His face lit up when he saw Marshall, and Marshall smiled just as bright when the teen jumped into his arms excitingly. 

"Gross..." Bonnibel muttered before walking away and leaving the two boys alone. Honestly Marshall had forgotten about her in the span of a second. The moment he saw Gumball all of her smart comments went straight to the gutter in his mind, and all he could focus on was the pink haired teen and how perfect he was. It made him realize exactly how much he missed the boy and his warm embrace. A week was too fucking long. Marshall didn't know how he had survived an entire week of no hugs, no kisses, no holding hands. He was eager to fix that as he connected their lips together. It was just a lingering peck, nothing big, but it felt big at the moment.

"I've missed you so much," Marshall confessed as he pulled away to plant a small kiss over pink curls. Gumball beamed and buried his face in Marshall's sweater, reveling in the soft fabric against his cheek. He flinched when the pain of his bruises came to life, and he'd forgotten all about the fight until just a moment ago. He pressed his hand to the purplish-blue mark with a sigh.

"What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just had an accident," Gumball lied. There was no way he was telling Marshall about his fight with Flame-- all it would do is get the older male wound up. Even more so if he found out that Gumball was fighting over him. "You don’t need to worry."

"I’m already worried! It's fucking huge...What did you do?" Marshall asked with a frown. "Did someone hit you?"

Gumball bit his lip. "Of course not..." Marshall gave him a skeptical look and Gumball knew that Marshall didn't believe a word that was leaving his mouth. He decided that he didn't want it to turn into an argument, especially before their date, so he sighed in defeat and gave up.

"Fine. I got into a fight with this jerk who goes to my school, Flame. It's not a big deal. The bruising should go away soon, he didn't hit me too hard, I just bruise easily.”

Marshall's face twisted up in confusion first, and then his expression went still. It almost scared Gumball how calm he was about it but he didn't say anything. "This Flame have red hair, green eyes, about ye tall?" Marshall asked and held his hand up to about his ear. Gumball nodded but furrowed his brows in confusion. "That fucker...”

"Don't overreact, Marshall. Let me grab my things and then we can go, okay?" Gumball said with a smile and kissed Marshall once more before scurrying off to grab his jacket and phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is I, the ostrich whisperer. Vamps is still asleep as I publish this and I can’t wait to wake her up to tell her how much she killed me with editing this chapter. Was she drugged out writing this? Besides that, We have iconic sweater PLUS drama? I was not ready.


	26. twenty-five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the date but you can hate me because this was finished a week ago I just never published it because my router was broken and I was not about to upload this in a library ok

Marshall had fun keeping Gumball in the dark. The pink haired teen was clinging to him the entire way, begging- “just tell me where we're going pleaaase" and it was honestly a bit funny. Gumball was being such a baby about it but he was still gorgeous, even when he was wearing his pouty face. No doubt about that. Marshall made sure to distract him with a waterfall of compliments the entire way there and Gumball would blush deeply and bury his face in Marshall's shoulder. He'd purposefully took the long way just for shits and giggles, but also because they had a pretty view of the scenery this route, and Gumball didn't complain because he was being carried anyways.

Marshall had planned something he thought they both might be able to enjoy together and hopefully it was worth it. After extensive web surfing, Marshall had found a cool bakery that wasn't very far at all. He was genuinely surprised that he'd never heard about this spot considering the amount of pastries he and Fionna used to stuff down their throats every weekend. This bakery was rated better than any other bakery in town, and one of the reviews said their doughnuts even gave Krispy Kreme a run for their money (which seemed too good to be true, but there was only one way to find out). Knowing how Gumball melted at the sight of practically anything sweet sealed the deal and that was how he decided this was the place. Gumball reacted just like a child would at first sight-- getting all happy and excited and squirmy about sugar.

The interior was cute and had just the right amount of neutral space that it felt comfy and complete. The layout was mostly simple with sea foam green and pink decor, and the walls were plain white with pretty paintings hung at the perfect height. It was fairly empty with only two other people inside considering the time which Marshall thought was great. Gumball's mouth watered at the sight of all the cakes and he quickly abandoned Marshall's back to gape over all the cute little cupcakes. Marshall shook his head fondly and followed the boy over to the display. There were too many delicious looking desserts to count shielded away from touchy hands by pristine, just barely tinted pink glass.

"This one looks a bit like you!" Gumball joked and pointed to a red velvet cupcake. The frosting was an ombre of red and black in a unique swirl, and decor rings shaped like bats were stuck into the frosting. It was right next to the sign that read 'Fall Specials!'. Marshall snorted out a laugh and shook his head, stopping to scan the cupcakes and his eyes landed on a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting and there were shiny edible pearls sprinkled on top. It looked somehow elegant and also very delectable.

"I guess that makes this one you,” Marshall replied, going along with the game.

"So pretty..." Gumball marveled. He was captured in the details of every little dessert, eyeing every sprinkle, thinking about just how much time and energy the bakers must've put into putting the cakes and other pastries together. There were even frosted cookies, cream puffs, and of course doughnuts, and many other things that Gumball wished he could shove down his face. All of the neatly displayed treats looked too good.

Marshall nodded an agreement with a blushing smiley face. "You can have anything you want, I'll pay." Gumball looked like a small child with wide blue eyes, smiling bright enough to replace the sun. Marshall mentally cooed at how cute he was. Gumball was absolutely stunning with a smile on his face and he looked so happy that Marshall's heart skipped a beat. It made Marshall just want to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go until Gumball finally got tired of him. He would bring Gumball to this place as much as he liked if it meant he got to see that precious smile. 

"Really? But I can't-- i'd feel bad about spending your money..."

"I would've never brought you here if I didn't plan on spending money. Yeah, it's a little expensive, but who cares? I want to do something nice for you. You deserve it."

Gumball opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was actually speechless. There was probably nothing he could say that would make Marshall change his mind. Gumball just thought it was endlessly sweet and he blushed brightly, turning his head to hide his flustered expression from the taller male. "Being Prince Charming today, I see," he mumbled with a faint smile.

Marshall scoffed, rolling his brown eyes. "I can't believe you just compared me to that prissy saint. Besides, that would make you Cinderella, and you're way cuter than she will ever be." Gumball elbowed Marshall and the older boy let out a sharp hiss.

"Don't be so obvious when you're flirting in public," Gumball scolded with just a tiniest smile peeking through, letting Marshall know that Gumball wasn't really upset. "And i'm not cute at all. I'm _handsome_." 

"Suuure. Then have you decided on what you want yet, _handsome_?" Marshall asked teasingly as he rubbed his arm. Gumball nodded and showed him the smaller multicolored cake they had. There were swirls of every color in the rainbow and there wasn’t any frosting, but instead a shiny glaze in replacement. Marshall agreed to buy it but only if Gumball fed him as an apology for elbowing him. Gumball agreed rather quickly and dragged Marshall away to order for them both. The lady at the register had been watching the two flirt endlessly for the last 5 minutes with a smile, and she couldn't help but to let out a chuckle. Gumball had attached himself to Marshall's arm and the older male looked too love struck for her not to find it at least a little bit funny. It wasn’t very often that couples came to the bakery— much less two boys, but regardless of gender romance was an adorable sight.

"What can I get for you two today?" She asked the pair routinely, though her tone brightened the mood instantly. Anyone could tell she loves her job. Gumball smiled brightly at her calm and polite voice. Her hair was a soft purple pastel colored, tied back for her work, and she wore a white apron with the bakery’s name on it in pretty pink cursive letters.

"We'd like 4 slices of the pretty shiny cake with all the colors!" Somehow she knew exactly which cake what he was talking about. "Oh! And a strawberry smoothie, for here," he added, looking up at the menu with an impressed look on his face. Well, he'd never been to a bakery that offered anything other than water, milk, or tea, but there was a first time for everything. 

"Will that be all for today?" She asked with a small laughter. Her eyes flickered over to Marshall who just shrugged at the pink haired teen's enthusiasm, clearly just going with the flow. Gumball nodded twice and she went ahead and totaled up everything. Marshall paid with a thank you and then the lady was telling them to take a seat anywhere they'd like, and their waitress would come find them with their order is ready. The two chose a booth and slid in with smiles across the table from each other. Gumball leaned over to give Marshall a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thank you," he told Marshall who's face became warm and pink instantly. Gumball teased him with a giggle.

"No problem," Marshall stuttered, slightly embarrassed. "So...I’m guessing you like this place, huh?”

Gumball nodded. "I do. It's nice, cozy. I never knew this bakery was here-- how'd you find it?" He asked, looking around at the lighting fixtures.

"Google, reviews from middle aged women, and lots of dedication." Marshall chuckled dryly and shook his head. "Seriously though, I'm glad you like it. I thought that since you like to bake so much that you might enjoy this place. I was really freaking out about making sure you had a good time. Since I asked you out and all," he confessed.

"Marshall... what? Me having a good time doesn’t depend on a place. It’s very kind of you to bring me here but we could be anywhere else and I’d still be fine. As long as I’m with you I’m having the best time of my life.”

"Really?" The older teen questioned, not quite convinced. While it was obvious that Gumball did like him back, Marshall didn't fully believe that it was possible that Gumball thought as highly of him as he thought of Gumball. Mutual attraction was new for Marshall and he felt like he was already lucky to even be on a date right now. But being on a date with someone who liked him as much as he liked them? Bit of a stretch. Even after all the time they’ve spent together.

"Yes," Gumball reassured. "_Really_."

Marshall felt really nostalgic when Gumball took his shaky hand into his own. He hadn't even realized how worked up he'd gotten, but clearly Gumball had, and it was comforting. The pink haired teen pressed a feather-like kiss to each pale knuckle, taking his time with the action, and by the time he was done Marshall's hand was steady enough to draw a perfect circle. It was amazing how he always managed to make Marshall feel better. Gumball only smiled at him but it was a new kind of smile, a mix of emotions he couldn’t fully make out.

When the waiter came carrying their slices of cake and Gumball's smoothie, the two boys thanked the nice lady with giggly smiles on their faces. Their conversations weren't loud enough for anyone else to hear unless they were close enough but the dopey grins, blushing faces, and shameless extended eye contact... that could be seen by anyone who looked. Neither boys cared and their feelings weren’t anything to be ashamed about, nobody could convince them they were.

As promised, Gumball fed Marshall bites of his cake and they joked around playfully. Gumball offered Marshall a sip of his smoothie and the two almost had a seizure over how good it tasted compared to the gas station machine that made half frozen smoothies for 5 dollars, and only had like 3 good flavors. Gumball laughed at Marshall's jokes until his entire face turned pink and damn did that make Marshall feel good. The fact that he could make Gumball happy made him feel happy. They were on a date and Gumball was content, and looking at him like a dream come true. When nobody was looking Marshall kissed him, conveying his adoration for the boy and he could taste their dessert on both of their lips, and just a hint of strawberry smoothie.

They stayed for a while longer, just talking, hands entwined over the table until the sun began to set, about an hour from closing. Before leaving Marshall left a generous tip in the jar near the register after he and Gumball ordered two more strawberry smoothies to go. He instantly missed the interior design of the sweet smelling bakery as soon as they stepped outside. But at least the evening was always pretty to make up for it; pastel pink and purple hues mixed in with a muted blue color and there were sparse clouds scattered throughout the sky. Gumball was beginning his cruise on his sugar high as he sipped his second smoothie in one hand and his other hand was laced with Marshall's. They didn't say much after they left but the silence was comfortable. There was a lot Marshall wanted— needed to say, but he wasn't bold enough to cut through the quiet air between them. Instead he let the slightly chilled breeze brush past and guide them along the way. It was nice this way, too.

Gumball had finished his smoothie rather quickly. Even though it was a large, Gumball had quite the sweet tooth and he would probably fill his entire diet with sweets if he could. Marshall ended up giving the teen his own smoothie and that pretty much distracted the pink haired teen for the rest of the walk because he still hadn't gotten over the taste and he was on his third one. While Gumball remained mesmerized over it's taste and perfect texture, Marshall took the time to just think. For once they weren't thoughts that he tried to shove away but rather thoughts that he welcomed with wide open arms.

He thought about where this date might lead them. He hoped that one day he and Gumball would wake up next to each other and tell each other I love you’s. For anyone, a life with the person you loved was a happy ending. He hoped things turned out that way. Marshall knew first hand that things didn't always work like that from his parents. He and Gumball were living two different social lives, with two different dreams but that wouldn't stop him from flying in blind like an idiot wishing for the best. Right now they were young and they didn't have to worry about things like that, but Marshall couldn't help but to think ahead. He didn't want to freak out Gumball so he'd keep it to himself, and all he could do was hope that maybe Gumball thought about those things too when he was alone at night laying in bed.

As the light from the sky faded slowly, Marshall realized that he was running out of social juice. It was a Saturday evening which meant there were more than a few people around, and while he wasn't an introvert, he began to feel tired under their gaze. The fact that they were two boys definitely drew attention in a town where homosexuality wasn’t that common, and Marshall didn’t appreciate the weird looks. Not because he was ashamed or shy about his sexuality— he’d never been— but just because it was rude to stare. He made a sudden switch of plans and led them to the nearby beach which he'd spotted on his way here, remembering when he came here as a pre-teen, and pulled the pink haired boy along with a grin. Marshall thought about how cliche this was with a grin as they approached the sand.

It was way too cold to go near the water at all but the boys made no complaints sitting back closer towards the rocks. The tide swallowed up sand and the clear water and spit it back out at the shore, creating a pleasantly relaxing sound. The sky and setting sun reflected off the water and it was almost ethereal, looked straight from a painting or something. Marshall had only been to this beach once before as a kid, and he swore to never come back after a fish got stuck in his swimming trunks. It was kind of funny to recall that promise now that he was here again having an entirely different experience, when today he might leave and swear to come back again. He was 12 years old at the time and wildly obsessed with Batman. Now he's a month from 18 and here with the person who drives his heart insane. Marshall picked up a jagged rock and rolled it between his fingers before throwing it somewhere random. Whoever stepped on it later wasn't his problem.

"What are you thinking about? You're being so quiet," Gumball asked, looking over at Marshall who was practically drowning in his own head. "Talk to me."

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about how I almost got my dick eaten by a fish the last time I was here." Marshall chuckled before a small smile made it's way into his face. Gumball let out a sound of amusement and climbed into his lap with a sneaky looking smile.

"That sounds like _such_ an interesting story. I'd just love to hear more to hear more," the teen said with his intrigued voice as he balanced himself using the taller male's shoulders. Marshall shook his head quickly and closed his eyes, refusing to let himself be influenced by Gumball's cutene-- _handsomeness._

"Please?" Gumball begged. "I'll tell you one of my embarrassing stories if you tell me yours?"

He peeked open an eye. "How embarrassing is yours?"

"Trust me, it's humiliating."

-

The rest of the night was laughs and funny stories, finding out things about each other they hadn't known before, and cuddling together under the sky to protect themselves from the air which was only getting colder. Gumball was in love with Marshall's sweater and how soft and how warm it was and neither of them though it was at all sexual when he slid his hands under the fabric to keep his hands from freezing. There were a few rated PG kisses somewhere in there and a few not so PG kisses as well, being even closer than before with Gumball's delicate fingers tracing over his bare stomach and their lips connected in a gentle, smooth kiss. It should've quenched Marshall's need for more but it didn't because Gumball looked absolutely wonderful and his lips were plump and pinker than they just were a moment ago, and he couldn't help stealing another kiss and he was honored to have the privilege to do so. 

Gumball removed one hand from Marshall's torso and used it to hold onto his shoulder for support, the lips against his dizzying and consuming. But he closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace easily and accepted whatever Marshall had to give him, knowing that this was just his way of expressing all the things he couldn't say, and he wanted it too much to pull away. They were at a public beach where anyone might be disturbed or even disgusted by their PDA if there was anyone around but there wasn't. Just the quiet swish and sway of the waves, the now dark sky and the bright moon above their heads, and them. He hadn't even realized the sudden addition of tongue until there was a spark inside of himself that left him more breathless before, and Gumball pulled away blushing and surprised, trying to regulate his breathing.

"Wow," He said in a faint whisper and Marshall let out a light chuckle, burying his face in the crook of Gumball's neck.

"I know right?” Marshall replied which resulted in a playful pinch from the pink haired teen. Marshall nipped at his neck in response and Gumball gasped, squirming just a bit to get away from the slightly ticklish sensation. He stroked Marshall's hair for a few seconds and let him have his moment of joy before Marshall pulled away with a new, dangerous type of grin, but more than alluring. The pink haired teen dared to glance away from the expression and those silky eyes to look at the moon, in an effort to save himself. Marshall looks up as well and is mildly shocked by the few stars that manage to outshine the city lights. Not often do they come out.

"It's really pretty..." Gumball says with a smile and scans the dark sky, eyes a few wispy clouds still scattered throughout the atmosphere and gushes at the sight he's only seen thousands of times.

"You say a lot of things are pretty," the pale teen thinks out loud and slowly nods. "But that's one of my favorite things about you." Marshall admits, and Gumball looks at him again while he keeps his eyes trained on the sky.

"I guess we're different because I can't see stuff the same way you can. I used to wonder how you can always look at things and find good in it, now I know that's just because you have a genuine heart. Even though I was just another guy you had to tutor, who was failing pretty much all his classes and still can't tell the difference between magenta and hot pink, you had faith in me and gave me a chance. That says a lot about you. And personally, out of everything considered beautiful and pretty on this entire planet I think you take the crown every time, just because you're a good person.”

Gumball opened his mouth to object but Marshall only shushed him quietly, continuing on with his talk. "You're special to me. I think you're easily one of the best things that's ever happened to me. It's been really hard to open up since my mom, and yeah, I'm fucking terrified that things might not have a happy ending for us and we'll probably get hurt, but I just can't imagine not trying you know? I think you're worth the risk of getting hurt. I don't want to fuck up like my parents did and not cherish what I've got while I got it. So I guess what i'm trying to say is... Bonnibeau, will you please be my boyfriend? Because you are one of the prettiest things in my screw up life and I promise not to break your heart if you don't break mine by rejecting me right now." Marshall laughed through his emotional tears and he hadn’t even realized he was crying, his face numb from the cold air. Marshall started threading his fingers through his hair to soothe his nerves just a bit, if possible. Gumball leaned and caressed his cheek softly as his thumb swiped away the wetness with a lopsided smile and leaned in to kiss him gently. When he pulled back he was smiling brightly.

"Marshall Lee, I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me too," Gumball said, butterflies in his stomach. "Thank you for everything today. I've never wanted anything more than I want to be yours, and I promise I'm going to do everything I can to keep you happy. I won't let you get hurt, Marshall, I swear it. As long as you put your faith in me and have my back i'll always return the favor. There will always be an us.”

"pinky promise, pinky?" Marshall stuck his short finger out and Gumball laughed at the old name, locking their fingers together.

"Pinky promise."

Boyfriends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sHE’S EMOtional rn im crine criNE IN THE SERVER OMG did I REALLY write this shit??!  
my end notes have evolved from neutral good to chaotic what the fuckery anyways MAYBE double upload....


	27. twenty-six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update.   
side note; this chapter requires a small bit of video game knowledge if you'd like to NOT be confused, but non-gamers, this chapter is still HIGHLY recommended x_x   
also... please do not leave comments saying how much you hate fiolee if that's how you feel. I don't care. Literally she hasn't done anything, so if I get any rude comments abt my baby i will attack you on a personal level. i don't think i have to worry about that with you guys... hopefully. girl shaming is not okay.

Marshall couldn't remember the last time he saw Fionna. He'd been so busy with school and hanging out with Gumball that he forgot all about making time for his best friend, and he was beyond upset with himself. The moment he realized that he called her and demanded that the two hang out, just the two enjoying their Sunday before they both went back to school and sat in stiff chairs hearing old people talk for 7 hours. Fionna agreed happily and said that she would be over shortly with video games and snacks, and Marshall surprised that she wasn't yelling at him for not calling or texting in so long. But then again she hadn't either, so maybe they were both busy. It wasn't that they were growing apart or anything but things were kind of different when it was no longer just them against the world. The word "balance" meant a lot more to Marshall than it did before, and now he was trying to figure out which side of the scale the new things in his life went on.

As promised, Fionna showed up only 10 minutes later. Her backpack that was usually heavy with books and homework was now replaced with her gaming system and a stack of games that would keep them company for a very long time. In her hand she was clutching a tote which was apparently filled to the brim with all kinds of snacks. She was the best-- bringing every variety even though they only ever ate a few kinds of candies out of it all. Fionna was adamant on not touching her controllers with greasy chip hands so there weren't any of those, but Marshall could survive off of anything with red dye in it for days. Whoever says food dye should be banned: _Fuck you_, Marshall thinks, _don't stomp on my death parade..._

After taking off her shoes and dropping her bags she made sure to give Marshall the tightest hug ever. Marshall swore he could hear his bones creaking but he laughed through the pain, so happy about seeing his best friend that he didn't care at all that he would likely be sore for the rest of the day. He didn't ever think he'd be so happy to see the shorter girl and he only realized just now how much he really missed her. Fionna in general was just a mood brightener for him; he adored everything about her from her contagious smile to her weird laughs, and all of her blinding personality. Marshall thought that maybe if he hadn't met Gumball it would be sort of inevitable that he fell in love with her. Fionna was just _that_ cool-- whenever she was around Marshall was happy.

"I think you might've broke something," he mumbled as he carried her backpack into the living room and started to help her unpack the system while she changed the output settings on the TV. Fionna snorted out a loud laugh at him and choked out an apology at the wobbly frown Marshall gives her, trying to contain his laughter because even though his side is throbbing Fionna makes everything funny because her laugh is so bad. He fails miserably and they both laugh for minutes until they forget what was funny in the first place, and then they laugh again because they're both slow enough to forgot what they found funny.

"Pass me the HDMI." Marshall tosses the wrapped cord in her direction and she plugs it in easily, slim fingers reaching the back of the TV where Marshall's can't. Next they turn on the console and it makes a soft whirring before the screen comes to life. And god, it's been so long since Marshall has sat down and played video games with Fionna that he gets so excited that his hands start to shake in excitement. "We're playing Left for Dead. We still haven't beat that one campaign and it's been like, a year. Please tell me you still know how to play?"

Marshall scoffs dryly, shaking his head as he turns on his controller and selected the profile he created specifically for himself. "I'd have to be fucking brain dead to forget how to-- shits the easiest game I've ever played. Is this the one with the zombies that honk? Ugh, that drives me insane..."

"Hell yes," Fionna smirks. "Oh yeah, i'm playing as Ellis so move your bitch ass over. Wait lets switch spots, i'm controller one."

They switch spots so that Marshall is on the right side first and then they start the campaign with a pained sigh, mentally preparing themselves for the anger that comes with this game. The hordes and the special infected, all paired with the barely decent graphics are enough to make anyone want to jump off a bridge. But Fionna has wanted to beat this game since it first came out and in order to do so she had to do a bit of digging to find her old Xbox, so it's important that they beat it before she loses it again. Marshall doesn't complain-- anything was fine for him as long as he got to play. He was like that annoying sibling who just wanted something to do even if they had no fucking clue what they were doing in the first place. Luckily, this game was easy and did not require much experience. It was just that the settings difficulty was making things impossible (trying to win a possible trophy, of course).

-

"_THROW THE FUCKING BOMB, FIONNA! THROWING THE FUCKING--_"

The two desperately tried to run away from the hordes, their fingers tripping over buttons and their players shoving back zombies and gun blazing everywhere. Marshall was mostly panicking while Fionna was calmer, shoving candy in her mouth while throwing pipe bombs randomly around the map to draw any potentially dangerous infected lingering around away. A tank came through and destroyed all of their hard work, incapacitating two of their teammates with a chunk of the ground. This is usually around the part where things begin to hit the fan. Fionna shoves a zombie and her gut drops when it makes a distinctive honking sound, and she can practically see the heartbreak on Marshall's face as the dramatic music increases.

"Oh my god, you shoved the fucking clown?! Fionna _why_ would you shove the fucking clown!" He groans in distress as he shoots into the slowly but surely shrinking horde of wildly swinging infected.

"I didn't know it was the clown! I was looking at the tank! Damn, there goes Rochelle..."

"Wait," Marshall gasps. "I have the zap clear thingy. Give me your health pack and then i'll go revive her."

"You have a defibrillator?! Where'd you find that?" Fionna asks in disbelief as she goes over to help Marshall kill the infected until there are no more of them left, and she gives a sigh of relief and stuffs a handful of Swedish fish in her mouth before using her health pack on him. Marshall thanks her and then runs over to revive their downed teammate, the computer giving some crappy dialogue before they set forth again. They don't encounter anymore hordes for a while, just a few infected in small groups of no more than 3 or 4. It's a miracle with the game mode on it's hardest setting but hell they'll take anything they can get.

They are both so concentrated on the game that the silence between the goes unnoticed. Marshall searches for new weapons while Fionna clears the area of zombies, the computers standing around and _only_ doing whats necessary, so basically being useless. Just as he picks up some ammo the blonde girl speaks out a "hey-" and startles him more than he would like to admit, his eyes that were previously trained on his side of the split screen darting over to meet her conflicted expression.

Now, Fionna has always been the type to say what she feels needs to be said. She is never shy with her opinions, and that's one of the things Marshall likes about her, but it makes talks sometimes... tricky. It's clear that she wants to talk now based on the fact that she's turned away from the screen and has paused the game, so Marshall also turns away from the game and sets his controller in his lap. "What's up?" He asks her and she tugs her hair between her fingers in the way that she does when she gets anxious. Usually she ties it up or something to prevent herself from doing that in front of others, but Marshall has seen her through the worst of times, and this is really nothing.

"I was just wondering if you like..." She huffs and rolls her eyes in annoyance with herself. "Do you think i'm annoying or something?"

Marshall instantly frowns. Fionna? Annoying? Never. She's his best friend and he's never thought she was annoying even when she does things to make him feel that way on purpose. Marshall has never been annoyed by Fionna, at least not seriously; maybe when she eats his apple slices or something, but that's it. "No, never have. Why?"

"Because you didn't text or anything. I don't know. I just thought that you thought I was annoying, that's why we were spending less time together." Fionna confesses. "But it was dumb of me to think that. Or ask you that. I mean, if I was annoying we probably wouldn't be playing video games in your living room. Unless you're just tolerating me. In that case, please just tell me the truth."

"Fionna, no, you don't annoy me. I've never known someone that I love to be around more. I just was so caught up in other stuff that I forgot to make time for us. That was pretty shitty of me to do as a friend, and i'm super sorry for that. I promise not to do that again. Honestly, even with Gumball, my life is still kind of plain without you. Like, romance is cool and all, but Gumball isn't my best fucking friend in the entire world. You are." 

"Yeah, I get it. It's fine, really. I was just overthinking it. I guess I have Cake and sometimes even Flame when he wants to be there... it just wasn't the same without you. I thought I was losing my best friend to their hot tutor."

"Nah, you don't gotta worry about that. We're super besties 4L, Fi," Marshall joked although there was truth to it, and he nudged Fionna gently who snorted and returned the gesture with her signature slug to the arm. Marshall was pretty sure he would bruise a dark plum color before the night was over.

"Shut up, Marshall Lee." Fionna unpaused the game and turned back to her side of the screen where she was in the middle of shooting a spitter. "By the way, when are you going to let me meet this Gumball dude?"

Marshall chuckled. "I don't know. He's kind of busy with school all the time, but I can talk to him about it if it makes you feel better. It'd be easier if you guys knew each other actually, since we're officially dating now..."

"As in actual boyfriends?" Fionna asks, furrowing her brows, and Marshall nods. "Holy crap! Congrats, Marsh! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"I just wasn't thinking about i--_HOLY SHIT KILL THE FUCKING CHARGER!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i loved l4d and l4d2 when i was younger so ofc i had to mix it in. playing it on my xbox360 after school was the highlight of my years!!!!!!  
also, if this has many spelling mistakes please tell me! I'm uploading this late and i'm kinda tired but most of it was prewritten so it should be mostly ok (?) i didnt run this thru ostrich because he's supa busy so i checked it three times :-( but im a human and i make mistakes... but so does siri, so cut me some slack...


	28. twenty-seven

"Bonnibel! Just give it back! Please!" Gumball begged his sister for what felt like the 100th time, nearing the end of his patience every time she moved it away just when it when it was finally within his grasp. He kept his eyes on the small wrapped gift that was probably about to break with the grip she had on it. Gumball was desperate to get to it before that happened, but his sister was dead set on not handing it over, seemingly convinced that there might be a bomb inside or something else equally dangerous.

"There's probably a gun in here or something. I'm certain that new infatuation of yours has a knack for danger."

"He's not a new infatuation, Bonnie, stop calling him that..." Gumball rolled his eyes. "And Marshall isn't even old enough to purchase a firearm! Besides, if there was something dangerous inside the both of us would already be dead with how you're waving it around!"

"Of course," his sister smiled sarcastically. "Then I'd like to watch while you open it. Since there's nothing dangerous inside."

"No. It's personal," Gumball rejected, a frown on his face at the overly ridiculous idea. "But you can see it afterwards if I think it's okay to show you."

"Nope. A deal is a deal. Do we have one?" She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers and tempting Gumball to shake her hand with her bright and pretty manicure. However, Gumball's mind was whirring, and he decided to play into her little game of "invade my brother's privacy and try to ruin his love life". He nodded, pretending to be unsatisfied as he reached out to grasp her hand and shake it. Right after she handed over the present he dipped out of the room, using his longer legs to his advantage and sprinting into the bathroom-- the only room that requires a specific key to unlock it from the outside.

Gumball slammed and locked the door behind him with a giggle as his sister groaned. This time it was her turn to beg but Gumball ignored her in the same way she did to him, and kept his back against the door as he caught his breath. Hell, there was no reason for their hallways to be this long. He finally remembered the gift in his hand and glowed at the fact that he'd finally succeeded in getting it back from his older sister. Gumball looked over the cute looking wrapping before turning it over to be faced with what he was sure was Marshall's best cursive, not perfect, but still readable as it spelled out 'Gumball' and next to it were little hearts, but of course the teen couldn't resist adding little skull stickers-- it wouldn't have been authentic if he hadn't. Gumball maybe smiled a little at that, but the moment was then interrupted by the neighbor's barking dog so he just continued on. He carefully peeled the taped edges off and unwrapped the paper, setting it on the dry sink ledge.

A frame. Or he supposes the actual gift is likely what was in the frame, actually.

Gumball stared at the picture of the two for a long time, and the memory of the time they took it floods his mind. He vividly remembers being at the library, and after Marshall had finished with his work for the day they were goofing off together for the rest of the time. By then they were comfortable enough with each other and their personalities were actually starting to shine through the somewhat awkward tension. That day they finished early and decided to spend time messing around, joking, taking funny pictures. They both looked stupid (that was the point), but Marshall insisted that he looked great no matter how hard he objected. The teen agreed not to send that one but Gumball guesses he must've stashed it for himself instead as a memory to keep. The picture was never brought up in any other session after that, and the pink haired teen was actually starting to forget about it... until now. Honestly, it makes him smile that Marshall would remember something as small as this picture. And seeing it now, Gumball thinks he looks a lot better than he did at the time. He ran his fingers over the smooth two-toned frame, one side red and the other a bubblegum pink color, with those silly nicknames they gave each other on their respective sides. He inspected the picture a bit more before flipping it over to peel off the taped note on the back. He unfolded the paper and began reading through the words:

_ **You're probably super confused. You're probably wondering why in the fuck I got you a stupid picture of us instead of something romantic like flowers or something. Actually, the truth is that I didn't because I know you a lot better than that. We both know that you're way too busy to take care of a fucking rose. ** _

_ **I don't know about you but this picture means a lot to me. More than any flowers, any chocolates, or any of that other cute shit you give to people on first dates. ** _ _ **This was the first picture we ever took together. I had so much fun that day that I couldn't breathe. Even though I blamed it on my cardio (which isn't even bad) I knew deep down that I was just choking on my growing crush for you. I think i'd only saw you maybe 3 or 4 times then but while waiting between sessions I had a lot of time to waste, so you were always on my mind. I couldn't get you out of my thoughts. I felt crazy and delusional at the time, like i'd never have a chance with you but here we are. Going on a date. By the time you read this you'll either be my boyfriend or the guy who rejected me, so i'll just have to see if all of my pining paid off. I hope it did because I am so ridiculously infatuated with being yours that I don't even care if people make fun of me for my chick flick ideals anymore. Not even Frank Iero gets my heart beating like you do.** _

_ **P.S- If you decide you don't want the gift you can give it back to me. ** _ _ **I hope you love it as much as I do though.** _

Gumball was trying hard to stop from smiling too much after he folded the note back up and tucked it away in his back pocket. Marshall was truly a sweetheart. It took a lot to stop from cheesing at the idea behind this gift, but even then his mind never failed to find another reason to do so. 

Gumball leans over and grabs the wrapping from the sink and turns around to unlock the door, opening it and stepping out after checking to see that his sneaky sister has disappeared. There is no doubt she will return, though, so Gumball hurries to his bedroom to hide his present before she comes back, but when he enters his bedroom she's sitting on his bed playing with one of his teddy bears with a dull look on her face.

"Oh, Bonnibel," he gasps and hides the frame in his shirt quickly, stuffing the wrapping in his back pocket because even though it's probably not worth anything, the design is nice to look at.

"Bonnibeau," she says back calmly. "You broke our deal."

"I had no choice! You were invading my privacy! I have a right to want to protect my belongings!" Gumball huffed and stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him and walking over to sit beside his sister on the bed. She sat up and rolled her annoyed eyes at him, but Gumball pretended not to notice as he showed her the frame. He was still wary about having it near her as he was well aware of her pointless vendetta against Marshall Lee (and this was something important to him) but putting that aside and putting what trust he did have in his sister forward, he let her take if from his hands and inspect it herself. "See? No weapon."

Bonnie blushed a deep red color. "Yes. It's just... a picture."

"You honestly expected something dangerous to be in there? Bon, you can't just label someone a terrorist before even getting to know them. Marshall wouldn't hurt me intentionally, and even if it was an accident he'd probably apologize until his lips fell off. You have nothing to worry about, I promise."

Her unamused expression threatened turn into a small smile, but she fought against it and shook her head. "He will hurt you. One day it's going to happen, and by then you'll probably be in love with him, I won't be able to stop it. He's no good-- they never are," Bonnie told him as she grazed the edges of the frame with her fingertips "I'm a little shocked, honestly. You used to never be interested in guys before. I didn't have to worry about some jerk breaking your heart. I thought that when you finally did start dating you'd end up with one of those primped kids from your school, or...you know... someone without a public criminal record."

Gumball nodded, sort of getting where she's coming from. That doesn't excuse what she's done-- hell no-- but talking was good. Talking meant they could reach a common ground. Gumball mentally noted to remain as calm as possible, to not lash out on his sister for thinking badly of Marshall, and just listen to her talk for a while, and actually hear the words coming out of her mouth.

"I keep thinking you deserve better than this Marshall guy. I mean, you have everything. You have the looks, the smarts, you're so kind-- you're a good guy. I don't want you to end up with one of these knuckleheads. You deserve the best."

"We're just kids. Nobody is 'the best'," Gumball reminds. "And if Marshall and I don't work out things will get better. Time will pass and i'll get over him, and eventually it won't hurt anymore. I won't be broken, Bonnie. I'm not a toy."

"But it'll feel like it for a long time," she says, voice harsh. "You know... I used to have a girlfriend."

Gumball frowned in confusion. "What?"

"A few years back. She was super cool. Super funny too, but everyone knows two people with baggage don't equal a lighter load. It wasn't good for us."

"You guys just... broke up then?" Gumball asked, picking at his jeans nervously. It was definitely a touchy topic and he felt awkward asking questions. He wasn't sure if she would take offense to them or not. 

"Yep. She was so mad that I thought she might hit me, but instead she just kept saying terrible things, and she stormed out of class before I could start crying. After that we just ignored one another. I was a mess and she was even worse, but we covered it up well enough that nobody noticed it. That had to be two years ago though...maybe more. I'll admit, sometimes I miss what we could've been, but we weren't meant to be and I know that now. But I was heartbroken for months."

"Oh," Gumball sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry, Bonnie. Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Getting over a breakup wasn't something anyone could help me with. I was just grieving, accepting, and trying to move on. Pity would've just made me feel worse. And even if I had decided to tell you, you might not get it. You were younger then. 15, just turned 16, i'm pretty sure." Bonnie tapped her chin in thought and bit her lip. "But this isn't about my sob story. This is about you."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "What about me exactly?"

"About you and dating. Are you guys serious?"

"Of course we're serious," Gumball answers truthfully. Does he _look_ like he has time to be playing around and wasting time entertaining boys all day? Because he certainly doesn't. "Why do you think I've been trying so hard to get you guys to accept him? Marshall means so much to me, Bonnie. He was the only real friend I ever had, and now we're dating. I want us to last. I don't want to lose him."

Bonnie nods her head and gulps loudly, averting her eyes quickly in shame and possibly something else, but she stares hard at her sock covered feet while everything processes. Maybe this shouldn't be something big for her personally, but it is. 

Seeing Gumball grow up has been a journey for sure. She's been waiting for this moment ever since he was crawling around in diapers and whining about having to eat actual food besides small slices of cake. Gumball has grown into someone respectable, and he's just so perfect in her eyes, he's been her world since the moment he was born. It was always just them against the world.

But now Gumball is old enough to invite others into the little space they've shared together their entire lives, and even though someone else being there doesn't erase their sibling bond, it sure does feel like it. She shouldn't find Marshall threatening but she does because he could possibly ruin the the happiness she's seen her brother work so hard for. This is one of the most memorable parts of his life and she doesn't want some boy to ruin it all for Gumball. And yes, she is aware that her behavior has been nothing short of atrocious but she had her reasons.

Logically she knows that the truth is that anyone could be a terrible lover regardless of past behavior, gender, or whatever. It's been extremely unfair of her to judge Marshall without fully getting to know him like Gumball had stated, and besides, Marshall was still polite to her even after she'd been rude to him. It made her feel terrible thinking about it now, and Bonnibel knew that she needed to apologize right away. She might not get used to him anytime soon but the least she could do was _try_ instead of trying to force away someone who made her brother happy. She wouldn't be able to look him in the eye if one day they actually broke up over this, because she was just too stubborn to listen when it came to letting people in.

"I'm sorry," Bonnibel says immediately after coming to her senses and turns to finally look Gumball in the eye like she should've been doing before. It feels almost painful maintaining eye contact with the shame pulsing through her, but she manages to show that she truly cares. "You're right. It was wrong of me to hide your things and it was wrong of me to try intimidating your boyfriend. I was just scared. I know you can't really forget about me since we live in the same house, but I guess i'm still getting used to having someone else around. I promise i'm going to try and be nicer from now on."

"It's okay. I mean, it wasn't-- please don't do that again-- but I forgive you. I already forgave you. Being concerned for someone isn't some unforgivable sin or anything like that and after hearing what you had to say I understand. Really. And even if we didn't live together I'd never forget about you. Me having Marshall doesn't mean we're not siblings anymore. If I have time to fit him in then I have time for you too, because I love you, Bonnie, and you're the greatest sister in the whole wide world." Gumball lit up at the end and she sagged in relief at his words but there was still one thing bothering her.

"Thank you. I love you too, Bubs," she smiled back. "But um... I suppose I do still owe your... boyfriend... an apology as well. Do you think he already hates me?"

"Marshall only hates three people in the entire world, I'm pretty sure. Taylor Swift, Madonna, and some jerk who shall not be named. He might be slightly afraid of you, but he doesn't hate you."

Bonnibel nods. "Hopefully. I would love to apologize to him face to face..."

"I'm sure he would appreciate that."

"Yeah," she agrees. "And by the way... I am happy for you. I'm still skeptical of his intentions but i'll admit I've never seen you smile so much. It's... nice. I do like seeing you happy."

Gumball smiles which further proves her point and stands, heading over to his desk to place the frame somewhere it won't get caught up in his mess of schoolwork on the weekdays. He looks back at his sister and laughs at how nervous she looks. "Did mom already leave for work?" he asks, changing the subject.

"Mom? Oh, i'm not sure. I heard there were some electricity issues at her workplace, but you know she has like three jobs. Why'd you ask?" 

"I was hoping we could do something fun tonight. It's been a while, and now that you've brought to my attention that you've been feeling a bit down, I was thinking we could do something like always. We can watch a movie and I can bake something quick for us to snack on tonight, if you'd like? Just us two." She smiles back at him, her beautiful features lighting up, and Gumball knows exactly how she feels. 

"That would be nice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched stakes (marcy's story! if you haven't watched it, do that) and the nostalgia hit me like a bdsm orgy.   
that was inappropriate. sorry kids. 
> 
> SUNDAYS!


	29. twenty-eight

Marshall's day at school goes by slower than slow without Fionna there to feed him stolen apples and make him laugh. The blonde girl is currently at home sick suffering because of all the junk she ate last night, and while he wants to find it funny, he can't because he's somewhat suffering from it as well. But his attendance kind of sucks and besides that, his year is getting more and more busy.

By the time last period loops around and is over Marshall's bag is at least a pound heavier from all the work he's jammed inside. The end of the school year is almost here-- just a bit over a month left until graduation-- which means exams approaching, and last minute assignments from his teachers who like to cram every unit in at the last moment. The worst has yet to come and Marshall is already making plans on crying himself to sleep this Friday. Plus he's pretty sure he's even sprouted a grey hair or two, which he immediately plucked as an effort to hide his stress levels from his overly receptive father. Senior year will undoubtedly chew him up and spit him back out a mess that is in no way, shape or form ready for the real world. The petty speeches they give during graduation will never make up for the sweat and tears of the poor teens who are about 3 months (give or take) away from being tossed out of their parents homes. Although, Marshall thinks his dad will be lonely once he heads off into the real world.

Marshall listens to music on the way home, air strumming along to the music blasting through his earbuds to distract himself from the unoccupied space on the sidewalk next to him. Occasionally he looks over to say something and is disappointed every time Fionna isn't walking beside him. Her bubbly attitude always washes away whatever bitterness is lingering inside of him from the school day, even when she's talking about Flame, he's always happy to hear her voice. By the time he makes it home he's worn out and ready to slip under his blankets to fit in a short nap before doing his homework. For the very first time, a session with Gumball seems like such a bad thing just from how tired he is, and Marshall almost considers calling to cancel but dismisses it as he approaches his front door.

"Hey dad," Marshall greets dryly as he steps into the comfort of his home, only to to notice that there's something odd... about the scene in front of him. He pauses. "...and...Gumball?"

Marshall stops to drop his bag and it lands on the floor next to the front door with a loud thump. He takes off his shoes and unzips his warm hoodie to hang it up so his dad won't complain about him making a mess later. The two sitting across the table from one another manages to pique his interest enough to push his tiredness to the back of his mind for the time being, at least until he figures out if it's important enough that he stays and joins in or not.

"What'd I miss?" He asks as he walks over to the two who are sitting over at the table, papers gathered around them in neat and short stacks. Of course they're color coded because Gumball is a total neat freak, which he doesn't mind at all. Marshall presses a soft kiss to Gumball's cheek before taking a seat in one of the chairs with the intent to listen. 

Matthew smiles at his son a bit before lazily motioning to the papers in front of them. "Not much. We're talking about your grades, graduation, things like that. How's Fionna?"

Marshall rests his chin in his hand and lets out an annoyed groan. "Sick. My best friend is a total loser. I hope she's alright though..."

"Well, that'll teacher to not eat so much candy in one night," Matthew said with a playful smile. Marshall let out a hum of disagreement.

"Nah. She'll do it again next weekend." Marshall decides to change the subject as he turns to Gumball. "How was school?"

"Well... I'm suspended." Gumball says matter-of-factly, not seeming the slightest bit inconvenienced by the words. 

"Suspended?!" Both Marshall and Matthew sit up straight at the word 9 letter word. For some reason, both males can imagine Gumball with devil horns and a pitchfork, and it sends Marshall into a frenzy, his brain malfunctions for a second. Gumball suspended? Even hell freezing over seems more realistic. But then Marshall remembers Gumball telling him about his fight with Flame and yes, that _would_ be a reason to get suspended. He finds himself looking over at Gumball's face where the bruise used to be and is pleased to see that it has disappeared almost completely, the healing bruise only visible if you look very closely. Marshall has been through his fair share of fights and bruises— both giving and receiving them— so he knows how annoying they can be. They don't suit anyone, especially not such a soft and kind person like Gumball, so he hopes there will be no more of them. Still, he kind of wishes he'd been there to see Flame get hit. Pulling himself away from his mind before he can refresh his hatred for Flame all over again, Marshall turns back to Gumball who just shrugs.

"It's not a good thing, but I can't change the past. No point in fussing over something I can't change," Gumball explains as he looks at his watch. "Ah, this last part shouldn't take that long, but I have to leave in 15."

Marshall whined. Despite his tiredness, he didn't mind staying up a little longer to spend time with Gumball. "But I just got here! That's bullshit!"

"Language!" Gumball scolded and playfully narrowed his eyes at the teen. "Be nice, Marshall. It'll only be a few minutes, I promise." 

"Fine, whatever," Marshall painfully agreed with a huff. Gumball smiled and leaned over to whisper something in his ear that made the teen blush flush red. Marshall sat back in his chair, having to fold his legs to keep himself still. Matthew lifts a brow at Gumball and all he gets is a bright smile in return. Despite his skepticism about the events that have unfolded across the table from him he decides not to question the two teenagers. Matthew labels it as one of the things he would rather not know, which means minding his business, which means ignoring the fact that it ever happened.

"Well now, lets get this moving along so that I can leave you two lovebirds alone," the dark haired man chirps as he claps his hands together loud enough to shatter the funky aura surrounding his son.

The three go over Marshall's grades together, and much to their delights (but not surprise), he's doing way better than he was before. His grades jumped from failing to passing with pretty nice marks, and the classes he were already passing stayed that way. Matthew already had his turn to be elated but he still found himself mentally jumping for joy yet again when Gumball went on and on about the improvement and what it meant. He was really proud of Marshall because he knew that senior year was no breeze. Even way back when he was in school he struggled a bit. It was nice to see Marshall giving his future a proper chance and _not _skipping class to draw dicks on the gym walls in sharpie marker, for example.

"Your GPA has definitely improved. It could be better, but knowing what you started with, I'm anything but disappointed. You're actually above average which is seriously mind boggling because there is no way in— actually, never mind that. In short, your grades are great. I have nothing else to say regarding this besides that you're doing a great job with getting on track." Gumball smiles a bit when Marshall pumps his fist. He kind of looks like a kid discovering crayons for the first time, like in the sense that his expression seems overly excited and just the slightest bit amused. And Gumball hates to shatter that, but well, it's always been this part of his job that he can't ever get used to. "I have some news."

"I'm no longer going to be your tutor. It's kind of sudden, I know, but you don't really need me for that anymore, do you?"

Marshall scrunched his nose. "Of course I do. You're like my study buddy! And besides, I was totally getting a thrill from the whole dating my tutor thing!"

"Thatlast part was uncalled for... But don't you get it?!" Gumball exclaimed and nudged him, his blue eyes radiating happiness. "It means you're all caught up! All of your hard work payed off! Aren't you proud of yourself?"

Marshall shrugged. "If you put it like that..." He says as his frown lets up a little.

Matthew leans across the table to ruffle his hair and ugh, he's such a dad that it hurts. "Cheer up, kiddo! We can have spaghetti for dinner!" The teen perks up a little bit more at the sound of spaghetti because it is very well known that he LOVES spaghetti. Long live the spaghetti, forever in his stomach and heart.

But...for some reason both of them cheering on the beginning his educational independence makes Marshall feel... sad? It'll be weird not making his way to the library in a haste after school. Despite him not wanting to begin this whole thing in the first place, now he doesn't want it to end. And maybe there's also those thoughts in the back of his head to blame. His stupid insecurities and fears convincing him that now that Gumball is done tutoring him they'll revert back to being strangers, because the entire reason they met was over a stupid textbook and Marshall's bad grades. And... what if Gumball started tutoring someone else and forgot all about him for some other kid? His hinges continued to unscrew the further into his mind he dove.

Matthew takes off with a deep exhale, picking up his tea and heading straight to his bedroom to probably do boring dad things like solve crossword puzzles in the news. Marshall instantly smooshes his face into the table and groans as he tries his hardest to push way the negativity. He flinches a bit when Gumball reaches out to pet his hair, but after only a second he finds himself relaxing and melting into the gentle touch. He thinks of their promise and it soothes him even further. Gumball wouldn't do that to him. He wouldn't forget him so easily.

"Hey," Gumball says softly to grab his attention further. "I have something I need to tell you..." The older teen pauses.

"Are you already dumping me?!" Marshall sits up suddenly, the reassurances from three seconds ago fading quickly.

Gumball's face twists in horror and he slaps his hands on his cheeks dramatically. "Oh, Jesus, no! No! I just wanted to tell you that the answers are in the back of the textbook if you ever need them!"

Marshall relaxed for a bit before he fully processed the words. "The answers were in the back of the book the entire time and _nobody_ told me? This whole year?"

Gumball nods sourly. "Yes, Marshall."

Marshall shoves his face in his palms and grumbles some more before standing up. "You know what? I don't even care about that stupid textbook anymore. I'm fucking exhausted," he says and tosses his arms up in his growing annoyance with life today. "Hold me while I pass out on the couch to piss off my dad?"

Gumball looks at his watch, smiling a little (a lot) as he peeks at the time. "Anything for you, my darling."

Turns out, cuddling is enough to make Matthew have a parental crisis. But to be fair it looked like a lot more than just cuddling at first. He was so ready to forget the entire situation until Marshall opened his fat mouth to laugh. Of course, the man did not find it funny at all, and he was desperately rubbing his eyes to forget the dazed look on his son's face, and also the blooming mark just under his shirt collar (which was accidentally discovered). No matter how immature it was on his end, he just didn't want to see it. Never ever. However, as a parent he did appreciate that they still had their clothes on. He did not appreciate them being wide out in the open. Unlike most dads, he would strictly prefer if they did whatever things couples did behind a closed, locked door. Not on his sacred couch where he watched the real housewives and drank his tea.

"Goddamit. Get a room you two!" he said and looked away quickly. "I leave you alone for a few minutes and you forgot how to act. Damn nasties." Matthew grumbles some more words about the generation of teens and their sickly ways, knowing fully and all too well that people his age were much worse as teenagers. 

Marshall peeked over at Gumball who was holding in a laugh and smirked. "So worth it," he whispered and turned so he could lay his head in Gumball's lap.

"If you say so." Gumball grinned when Marshall rolled his eyes and brushed a few strands away from his face, leaning over to kiss him on the forehead softly. "By the way, we should do something fun tomorrow. To celebrate your hard work."

Marshall gives a confused look. "Who actually celebrates hard work? Don't most people just say 'good job' and call it a day?"

"Ugh. How plain is that? Stop using your silly brain and let me take you out tomorrow to celebrate. We can do whatever you'd like, and you can bring your friend too, if she's feeling better and you'd like to invite her."

"You don't have to do anything special for me, y'know that right? Just having you here is enough."

Gumball made a satisfied face as he twirled a lock of dark hair around his finger. "I know. Now, get some rest."

Marshall presses a grateful kiss to Gumball's thigh before closing his eyes, his body instantly relaxing and dozing off as he uses his boyfriend's leg as a pillow. 

Gumball laces his fingers through his boyfriend's dark hair for the rest of the time they have together, which is not very much, but the short silence is very much appreciated. Marshall falls asleep surprisingly fast and soft breaths escape his lips. Gumball stays a little bit longer than he's supposed to just to make sure Marshall is completely asleep before sliding from underneath him and collecting his lanky body in his arms. He's quite a lot lighter than he looks for someone of his size but then again Gumball isn't that much smaller than he is. Gumball's issue is not that but rather getting them upstairs without making Marshall hit his head against the walls and stair railings, which takes a lot of navigating and carefully planned steps, although he manages.

Gumball nudges the bedroom door open with his foot and enters the familiar space, careful for the scattered pages of writing sprawled across the floor. He steps over Marshall's song book and his guitar with a small smile and places him in bed carefully, trying not to wake him as he kisses his cheek and pulls the blankets up over the snoozing teen. He peeks at his watch and cringes a bit thinking about how his mom will probably scold him later, but it was only a fleeting thought because Marshall seemed really peaceful and it was a good look on him, so naturally Gumball wanted to see his face while he dozed off.

The pink haired teen admired for a bit more before rushing off despite his brain's pleads to stay, rushing downstairs and packing his things up before scrambling out the front door, making sure to lock the bottom lock before making his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the lack of updates lately :-( i originally planned on double uploading about a week after i put out the last chapter, but things got postponed because as many of you may know... life is annoying and persistent. This story is really hitting all the twists and turns lol but i've decided up speed things along a little bit since its nearing the e n d *sobs uncontrollably* and we would like to pay attention the wants of both us writers and you readers, so it's vv hard for us right now v_v writing and editing the next few chapters has been a real struggle but we're trying to push through and get this done for you guys <3 bc i love you all very much! thank u guys for the caring comments and for taking the time out of ur day to read TB&C-- it means a lot to us!
> 
> REGARDING THIS CHAPTER: i'm not very sorry that i took away you guys' tutor!gumball privileges, but since i know that was a big part of the story i decided to go a little easy and so there will be lots of fluff !! this was very short so i AM sorry about that :-(


	30. twenty-nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a filler in case we didnt finish writing&editing on time, but we ended up being so busy that we didnt even have time to upload this for you guys. i wasn't going to post it but ary said he thought we maybe should, and i kinda liked this filler so here she is v_v the next upload is already finished for you guys but im not sure if ill upload it tonight or tmr. i would like to get it up tonight after going over it to see if theres any final changes id like to make.

Gumball returns home later that night, his mom trailing behind him and she's already wiping her bold lipstick off with a cringe on her face. They pile through the door without bothering to be quiet as to not disturb their nosy neighbors. Gumball is slightly pissed off—lightly speaking—and he could really use a week long slumber. He hasn't been this exhausted in a while.

"I really, truly wish you would stop dragging me along just to show me off. I'm your son, not a trophy." The teen voices and uses his hand to shake the gel in his hair loose. He loosens his tie as well, unbuttoning the first few buttons of the crisp white dress shirt his mother practically forced him in. "Can't you take Bonnibel next time? I'm really busy, and she's more showcase material than I am."

She rolls her eyes. "No, I can't. She's very argumentative and last time she went on a rant about several different scientific theories of hers, most of which were offensive and crude. It's inappropriate.

"Oh, so I'm the one who has to endure it just because my sister has a personality? Maybe I'll research the effects of long term cocaine usage and have an open discussion about it next time." Gumball grumbles as he takes his shoes off.

"Bonnibeau, don't joke like that!" His mother gasps with an incredulous look on her face. "I only ask you to come because you're my last reasonably sane child! It's my job!"

He sighs in defeat. "Okay, i'll go, I suppose. But tomorrow I can't help you since I made plans with Marshall Lee."

"Ah, you should invite him to dinner this weekend. It's almost like you're hiding him from us."

Gumball doesn't reply. He goes up to his room and gets himself ready for a shower and then bed. His alarm reads boldly 10:47 PM which is already much later than he planned to be in bed by. Luckily he already had dinner while they were out so he doesn't have to stay up to make himself something to eat. Gumball drops his belongings on the floor in his room and lets out an exhausted sigh as he shuffles across the room to put his phone on the charger. He completely drained the battery playing games which he impulsively downloaded to distract himself from his mother's boss's creepy daughter. Gumball might not even mind being her friend if she knew to respect personal boundaries, but she was just too much like that abandoned house at the end of every block that everyone consciously avoided. She definitely had that stalker-ish vibe that made his flight reaction trigger.

After a brief calm down moment to soothe his nerves a bit, Gumball decided to get a shower started. It was nearing closer to 11 and he was very tired, so he decided a thorough yet quick shower would suffice. Gumball made his way to the bathroom and turned the shower nozzle until a hot stream started, the bathroom already fogging up by the time he got his undershirt off. After completely undressing he stepped under the water and let out a relieved sigh as the tension in his muscles melted away. He closed his eyes and relaxed further as he let the water soak him from head to toe. After a long moment of deeply appreciated and much needed silence he reached for the body wash and scrubbed his skin until he was satisfied and the sweet smelling soap filled the bathroom. He washed his hair as well, letting the gel wash out of his pink locks easily under the water. The vibrant color was mostly faded by now so he made a mental note to pick up more dye this weekend, if he had the time. His natural blond hair color was starting to peak through and he didn't like it the slightest bit, though it was inevitable, but he wouldn't stop covering it up until he went bald. Gumball conditioned his hair, finished rinsing off, and then he turned off the shower and stepped out into the rest of the steamy room.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and wrapped a clean towel around his waist as he returned back to his room. His hair was still dripping water onto his shoulders as he pulled on a pair of clean underwear and a shirt that was too big for him and then climbed into bed. Gumball settled for lazily wrapping the towel around his head just so he wouldn't soak his pillows and then he smooshed his face into his soft blankets, his body feeling light and floaty as he got more comfortable. Literally the only thing that would make this feeling better was being wrapped in Marshall's arms after a long day of pretending to be the perfect son. He craved for affectionate cuddles and kisses right about now, but it wasn't possible and that knowledge made him groan in annoyance because he could _really _use some TLC right now. After being objectified for an entire night he just wanted to be wrapped up in his boyfriend's arms, and as selfish as it sounded, he wished everyone in the world besides the two would just disappear for even an hour before he went bonkers. However, it was late and he barely had the energy to continue his wishful daydreaming, so he settled for shooting Marshall a sweet good night text before he curled up in his blankets and dozed off for the night.


	31. thirty

"So what? Is this like a date and I'm supposed to be third wheeling?" Fionna asked him as she stuffed her unneeded items in her locker, sparing a brief glance at Marshall before chuckling to herself quietly. "No offense, but I _kind of_ don't want to be stuck in the middle of your heated hand job sessions."

"It's not a date," Marshall says with a slight edge to his voice. "And we don't jerk each other off. I can't tell you that we don't jerk ourselves off though--uhh, what I meant was, we won't be super gross..." Fionna looked him up and down skeptically.

"Just... stop talking. I'll go with but I gotta let Cake know I'm going first, or else she'll have an aneurysm or something. What time?" The two began their walk to their respective classes, which were conveniently located near each other, weaving through the crowds of teens as they continued their conversation.

"The fact that you think I asked what time we're going just shows how much you overestimate my ability to think ahead." Fionna scrunched her face up and shook her head, not quite sure if she should be mad at herself or her best friend. "I don't fucking know! And if I did then I forgot!"

"Whatever, dude. Text me the details after school. See ya at lunch, freak." Marshall smiled weakly and kissed his fingertips before pressing them to her cheek, earning himself a small shove before they were off on their way. 

\--

"Oh. It's just Marshall Lee." Cake said nonchalantly. She looked over at Gumball and back at the tall teen. "I didn't know you were gay? I thought you were the pizza guy."

"I'm neither, actually. This is Gumball, my boyfriend. Babe, this is... Cake. Fi's sister who doesn't know if she loves me or hates me after years."

"Uhuh... you seems pretty gay to me. I bet you're a bottom, too. Hey, Fionna, Marshall is here!"

"What- I-" Marshall stuttered, at a loss for words, and by the time he finally came up with a proper response Fionna had appeared in jeans and a t-shirt, holding one pair of shoes in her hand while the other was on her foot. Marshall greeted her but he was still a bit in shock. Dealing with Cake was like turning the crank on a jack-in-the-box. Every word that left her mouth was unexpected and lead to one big grand finale. He didn't know how Mono did it.

"Eh, don't pay attention to her. She's always picking with Marsh." Fionna said as she paused tying her shoe to wave her sister off. She jumped up excitedly, smiling brightly. "So. You the guy who stole my best friend's heart, huh?"

Marshall didn't really know what to call it. They had one of those instant-click type of meetings, Gumball and Fionna, without it being awkward even though they were just strangers a few minutes ago. Gumball was a little timid though, his cheeks and nose dusted over in a pink color as he sort of clung to Marshall's arm since he was the only thing familiar about all of this. But he found Fionna endearing and amusing and that was very clear as he let the blonde girl play with his hair a bit, both of them laughing and giggling, and Marshall was content with this. He was so happy that he thought his lips might fall off from smiling so much. After a while of talking and Cake staring at them through the window suspiciously they decided to get going, and so the three piled into Gumball's car with laughter in their ears.

The teen gazed over at his boyfriend for a split second as he drove, still not quite over the fact that he could drive, and the fact that he was one of the many teens Marshall knew that was responsible enough to even have a license in the first place. Less surprisingly, Gumball couldn't have been driving for more than a year or maybe two and yet he was great on the road. He faced head, blue eyes focused in front of him with both hands on the wheel. He was calm and cute, peering over at Marshall with a smile whenever they came to a red light. Marshall would blush profusely and Fionna would tease him over it, leaning forward to poke his shoulder. "Simp," she joked as she tugged his ear. "You _sure_ this isn't a date?"

"Yeah," he mumbled back at her with a slight glare, although he wasn't mad, just embarrassed that she was calling him out. It felt a bit like she was reading all of the cheesy thoughts about Gumball that filled his mind on a daily basis, like she was skimming through their memories together that he held on a high pedestal. Marshall was never a romantic before he met Gumball which wasn't that much a surprise, so Fionna didn't really know much about this side of him, but she was very quickly seeing exactly what sort of effect this pink haired boy was having on her best friend.

"Not to be nosy, but you look like you love him. Good thing I don't judge." the blonde girl whispered very quietly before sitting back and letting the conversation die off as she stared out the window. Marshall turned and watched as Fionna excitedly waved at strangers in other cars, an unbothered expression on her face, like she didn't just say what Marshall has been stressing over since he realized how much Gumball meant to him.

He knows that—in his heart—he deeply cares for Gumball. Marshall has never been in love in the past so he wouldn't even know where it starts, when it becomes 'love' instead of just 'liking someone a lot', but there are a lot of things he would do for Gumball that he wouldn't do for many other people. He thinks he probably loves Gumball in another way he can't quite explain, but not just in the romantic sense, and maybe that's why he can't figure out this puzzle that is his emotions. Still, Marshall has no problems with believing that one day he will come to that point where he is no longer intimidated by it. Marshall is scared to throw that four letter word into the mix because he knows how it changes things and he knows that people change too, and they could say they're in love now and there's no guarantee that won't change tomorrow. But it's okay if he finds that he does love Gumball, as long as it's genuine. But he doesn't have to be in a rush to say it.

It's okay.

After driving a bit more, Fionna starts to get a little antsy in the backseat, and Marshall is just about tired of watching buildings and other cars pass while the radio remains a constant background noise. It doesn't seem like they'll ever stop driving for a moment, and when they finally approach their destination Fionna is quick to stop making pointless, weird noises, and Gumball seemed to be smiling brighter, and Marshall is... confused? No, more like... curious. He did say Gumball could choose the place since he still hadn't officially decided on what to do by the time they picked up Fi, but Gumball didn't tell him anything about what his plans were, though Marshall hadn't asked either. It was a moment later and then the car was parked in the enormous lot, the curly headed boy dangling the keys playfully between them. 

"I hope you both like rollerskating," Gumball said excitedly and unbuckled his seat belt, the other two following his movements and started heading inside for some fun.

"What made you pick this place?" Marshall asked him, peeking over at him for a moment before looking around at the gaudy interior decor. Though he'd never been here before, it felt familiar with the flashing disco lights and tacky retro, glow in the dark flooring, and people flying back and forth on wheels going every which direction. The biggest thing was obviously the huge rink that took up majority of the space, and the source of music seemed to be coming from there also. Next up, the prize wall (for what reason that was there, he did not know), and then finally there was a concession stand that seemed to serve nachos, pizza, drinks, and some pretty rock ass looking cotton candy. What a mess that must be to clean up...

"I thought you'd have fun here. There's an arcade all the way over there, so I figured you'd like that." Well, that explained the huge prize wall. "It's easy fun."

Fionna laughed, leaning up to ruffle Marshall's already messy black locks. "Aw, then it's a good thing this giant here is good at skating _and _video games!"

"Stop it, Fi!" Marshall blushed and looked away. "She's being sarcastic. The last time I tried skating it was on concrete and I tripped over a rock running from the police, i'm pretty sure."

"Um... that's okay?" Gumball said confusedly before reassuring Marshall with a comforting smile as he laced their hands together. "It's easy to learn. If you don't like it, then we'll hang out at the arcade instead. Sound good?"

Marshall nodded his head quickly, so much that he had whiplash when Gumball stopped his motions to kiss him, just connecting their lips for a quick moment before pulling away to caress his cheek lovingly before skipping off to pay for the three without notice. Marshall would have paid for his company at least, since Fionna was his friend after all, but Gumball seemed a little too eager to be paying. Maybe it was because he felt bad about Marshall paying for everything on their date, or maybe it was because he was the one who suggested they come out tonight. Whatever the reason— Marshall would have to thank him for it.

"Your boyfriend is such a gentleman." Fionna giggles and elbows his side slightly. "And he's pretty. He kind of suits you."

Marshall chuckles a little. "Yeah, Gumball's good for me. It's kind of suspicious--my love life up until him has been either null or trash."

"Just enjoy it, dude. As long as he makes you happy. I mean, you could've got stuck with an asshole." She shrugged.

"Yeah. How's it going with Flame?" In all honesty, Marshall doesn't care about him, but he's a little surprised about how little Fionna mentions him now. It's almost as if she's over him, and as unbelievable as that sounds, Marshall just wonders if it's true. It's a well known opinion of his that Fionna deserves someone who will treat her properly, and not like some pastime. Pushing aside his hate for the guy—he wonders about his best friend. 

"He's into someone else, I guess. We haven't had the time to end things properly, since he says he's always busy, but I would like to do it in person if we can." Fionna smiles, tucking a light piece of hair behind her ear. "It feels good. The thought of letting him go... Relationships are so troublesome for me."

Marshall opens his mouth to reply but then he realizes he has nothing to say. He could agree, act happy and jump around like a clown, but then he would be a jerk. It was true that Flame didn't deserve her, but she was still pretty into him, and so it's not his place to come for him. Marshall could play sad as well but then he would be lying about how he felt. So he didn't say anything, just decided to take in her words and leave it at that.

Gumball returned shortly with three tickets which were apparently for renting out skates, since none of them came with their own pair, or even had a personal pair to use in the first place. 

"Welcome to GoGo's skating rink, what sizes can I get you three for today?" The pimple-faced teen at the checkout station said in the most monotone voice ever, eyes flickering between the three and eventually landed on the shorter girl in the middle. She held up the ticket Gumball handed her with a bright smile and handed over the small little paper to the guy. 

"May I have a size 6 and a half womens' rollerblades please?" He nodded and looked over at the two boys.

They told the guy their sizes and then he was disappearing the the back for a moment before returning with each pair of skates. The three teens had to exchange their own sneakers for security reasons, and Marshall respected it, but he would flip shit if he got his shoes back with just one speck of unfamiliar dirt on it. They stopped at a bench to get their skates on and then Fionna was the first to speed off without a second thought, leaving the couple behind to finish tying their laces up.

"Do you trust me?" Gumball asked with wide eyes as he stood up, offering his hand out to Marshall.

"Yeah." That was an easy question. 

"Good. You have to trust that I won't let you fall. At least, you won't fall alone. We'll fall together if that happens." Marshall laughed as he grabbed Gumball's hand and stood up. "It's a little scary at first. Just hold on."

It was so much fun. Marshall was an anxious wreck, trying to keep his balance while Gumball helped to keep his on his feet as well, both of them laughing away and moving at their own pace even as many people flew past them quickly. Even Fionna passed a few times, whistling at the two and wiggling her eyebrows. Marshall was blushing like he never had before because Gumball's arm was around his waist securely, and maybe he was also flustered because every time he managed to look up from the floor those baby blue eyes met his, looking almost violet under the lighting, and Gumball was smiling fondly at him. Even when he stopped wobbling and was able to skate forward at a little faster pace, Gumball still held on and didn't let him fall like he'd promised he'd do. Marshall felt a little intimidated by the thought of skating alone, but beside Gumball he was having so much fun and he felt safe. He loved every second of it.

Slowly, they made their first loop around the rink, and Marshall was feeling pretty proud despite having help. It was a small step but a step in the right direction nonetheless. They skated again and again until Marshall was okay with just holding hands and he could make his way around without almost falling on his face. 

"Thank you," Marshall said, catching Gumball's attention as he turned from where he was watching the lights change colors. "Y'know, you didn't have to do this for me. Just because I'm doing what any other high schooler should be doing."

Gumball laughed a little bit, shaking his head. "I'm very proud of you, but I really just wanted to come because I want to spend time with you. High school is already almost over, and who knows where we'll end up once it's time to leave for college... Just in case, I would like to be satisfied with the time we've spent together until then."

"Oh." Marshall gulped. "You think about that too, then?"

"College? Of course I do. College is an important thought." 

"Do you think we could make it work? I would never ask you to choose me over your education, but i'd be fucked up without you, if i'm being honest. It feels wrong to think about letting go."

Gumball hummed and pushed his curls away from his eyes. "My future is very important to me, Marshall, but you're important too, so having you in my future is something that will make me happy. It may be a bit difficult, but I do quite like being yours, so..." Gumball seemed nervous, like this was a conversation he feared having, but at least he wasn't being irrational about it. Marshall squeezed Gumball's hand to show that it was okay. They still had a lot of time to talk over things, but right now, Marshall knew what his answer was.

"We'll figure it out and make it work." He kissed Gumball's cheek lightly. "For now, let's just make memories, I guess."

Fionna joined them not too much later, deciding to skate at their pace a little bit, so she stayed at Marshall's side unless a song she liked came on. Marshall found that Gumball was better on skates than he'd previously let on, and he wondered where and how long it took him to learn how to do all of that. Marshall was only just learning how to skate for real so he stuck with the basics like skating forward without falling over, and he could do a pretty smooth turn now. Gumball was fluent on wheels, on the other hand, making the other skaters look like fools, gliding across the hard floors and spinning and twisting and smiling. Marshall was pretty amazed because it seemed like the more he got to know Gumball the cooler he became. He used to just be this hot guy that Marshall's called his tutor. Now they were boyfriends, and Gumball was this beautifully sculpted, talented guy with an amazing personality and a smile that lit up Marshall's world. His existence was a constant stream of light, inspiring Marshall to keep trying to become a better person, putting a smile on his face everyday. It's kind of crazy how time can change how you view a person.

Even though Marshall couldn't skate that good yet, he felt pretty content just watching the two roll around freely. They weren't too much up ahead, and Marshall could clearly see his two favorite people laughing and giggling. Fionna leaned over to whisper something in Gumball's ear and Marshall lifted a dark brow as he started to question exactly what they were gossiping about, especially when his boyfriend covered his lips and turned to look back at him for a split second before turning away in embarrassment. He squinted his eyes but decided against asking, deciding he didn't want to really know, since he probably wouldn't get it anyways. Marshall didn't understand girls that well—not even Fionna when it came to stuff like this—but Gumball was easier to talk to, quick to get the gist, and good at keeping his word. So it was probably better that whatever Fionna said in the first place it stayed between the two. 

Instead he listened to the song playing above his head, the music loud and blasting throughout the entire place, but not loud enough to cloud his thoughts. Marshall hummed to the tune he was sure most people recognized from their childhood, but he skated to his own beat until he finally looped around, and then he realized he was a little hungry. Actually, he was really hungry. Marshall practically lived off of apples and spaghetti, but he's not too picky so at the end of the day anything will be fine with him. He waved over at Gumball and Fionna before exiting the rink to head over to the stand where they served food—mostly snacks that would likely only half fill him up with his size, but it was better than nothing.

The line was pretty short. A few giggly girls ordered slushees and gross, sugary pretzels, and then there was a guy who took forever trying to figure out what drink he wanted out of the _four _options of soda they had available. The guy ended up getting a Mountain Dew, and that was when Marshall realized that not everyone was living good like he was. The tall teen grudgingly settled for pizza and water, and he grabbed Nachos for Fi, and that cotton candy for Gumball, because if he didn't get them anything then one of them would try to eat his food, and it would probably be his seemingly always hungry best friend. 

Like he suspected, the two joined him the moment he sat down and Fionna was of course the first to ask for a bite of his pizza. She was barely done pleading before he shook his head and slid the nachos across the table in her direction. He also handed Gumball his cotton candy, and they two thanked him, the pink haired boy kissed his cheek and before digging into his sugary treat.

Fionna shoved three cheesy chips past her lips and chewed quickly, moaning at the taste a little bit. "What the hell?! These are way better than gas station nachos!" She gasped after she finished chewing and swallowed her food. "And I _love _gas station nachos!"

"Gas station food in general is gross, Fi," Marshall said and scrunched up his face, "i'm disappointed in you."

"Screw you." Fionna scoffed and ate some more. "You're so picky. I don't know how you grew so much when you only eat like two things everyday. It's not fair that you get to be tall and fit and I can't."

"You're taller than most girls your age," Marshall mumbled. "And I'm not fit."

Marshall tuned out from the conversation and indulged in his pizza, staring at the prize wall from his seat and wondered if he should try to win something as a souvenir from today. He was pretty good at playing video games, so he could try to win something for all of them, or something like that. He didn't know yet, but he was suddenly determined.

Fionna served as background noise, her voice in the back of his mind as she playfully poked at Gumball for being prettier than her, and he was sure that if he looked over then he would see the blue eyed teen blushing because he seemed to be flustered whenever Fionna said something nice to him. Fionna was chill but it wasn't very often that she was _this _nice. She wasn't an asshole but she's had her fair share of teasing. Though, she didn't seem to want to pick with Gumball at all.

Gumball closed his eyes in embarrassment and hid his face in Marshall's sleeve, though he smiled a bit into the fabric. "Fionna..." Marshall mumbled and pressed an absent-minded kiss over those pink curls. He noticed the color had faded quite a bit since they first met which was only natural—he wondered if Gumball would go blond or do a touch up soon.

"I'm not doing anything!" The girl defended. "I just said his freckles were really pretty!"

"Thank you...I think you're very pretty too." Gumball seemed to blush even harder, pink spreading from his cheeks and nose to his ears. Fionna's compliments were very embarrassing for him since he didn't really know how to respond to them properly. It was different from when Marshall did it, obviously.

Fionna squeezed her eyes shut and squealed loudly. "Oh my god, I love you already! You guys are like, my new favorite couple now! Who gave you permission to be cute?!"

"Who was your favorite couple before?" Marshall asked, actually very intrigued by her excitement and interested in knowing the answer.

"Cake and Mono. Duh!" she answered and stuck her tongue out. "I'm gonna head back! You guys can run off and do whatever couple-y things you want."

The blonde girl picked up her now empty tray of nachos and skated off in the direction of the trash can before Marshall could ask if she was really okay with being alone in this huge building. She waved back at him before disappearing into the large crowd of people, and so he just sighed in defeat and decided to drop it, since there wasn't much he could do now that she was gone. He turned to Gumball who was still clinging to his arm, a little less tightly than before, but still hesitant to let go completely. 

"You okay?" Marshall asked.

Gumball smiled softly, nodding his head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

"Hm? Thinking about what?" Marshall raised a brow and turned to look at Gumball.

"Um... just... Fionna. She's really sweet isn't she? I could've used a friend like her back then, or even now. I'm really happy I got to meet her today. Thank you for asking her to come with us."

Marshall is glad to hear those words. It makes relief flow through him, even though he wasn't too worried about them not getting along in the end considering how they acted when they first met, but it's nice to hear it. Marshall remembers how awesome he felt when he and Fionna first became close friends. She just kind of makes the people around her happy like that, and she sticks around too so it's almost like a joy that never goes away. It's a little sad that Gumball didn't have anyone who he felt like he could really lean on back then, and it's a shame, because Gumball is so hardworking and so deserving, it breaks Marshall's heart to hear it. He takes on a lot whether he can handle it or not for the sake of others, and yet he's humble, and Gumball doesn't ask for much. All he asks for is genuineness from the people around him, but not a lot of people are. Still, Marshall doesn't think it'll be a problem if the three of them hang out like this more, and he won't have to remember that loneliness he felt before when he's with them.

It isn't really the sad, angsty conversation for that, but Marshall tells him that anyways. And he can tell Gumball is happy, even if he's speaking about something that made him sad in his past, the entire point of speaking up was to let Marshall know that he was currently pleased with things right now. Hearing Gumball say these things made Marshall happy too because he knew his boyfriend held a lot in, but at least he didn't find opening up to Marshall difficult. It wasn't supposed to be. Gumball smiled, seemingly back to his normal self, and then he was standing up and pulling the dark haired teen along with him. 

"Whoa-"

"I needed that. But... well, there's no use in sitting around!" He said with a cheery grin. "This place closes in only an hour, and I wanted to check out the arcade with you!" Marshall skated behind him, their hands laced together as the two made their way over to the arcade area. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger or time skip?? the world will never know until my next random update BWAHAHAHA !1!1  
anyways i have a message that's actually important for once o//o
> 
> -for all my fellow black readers i would like to wish you all a very happy and eventful juneteenth, or freedom day <3 i hope each and every one of you all recognizes the importance and beauty behind our culture and what it means to be black and proud in today's society. in case some of you don't know what juneteenth (or freedom day) is, it is a holiday that recognizes the emancipation of slaves in the united states, and it is celebrated on 6/19 in the US specifically... which means im a little late on this since its 6/20 where i am...
> 
> FLUUUUUUFFFF *zombie noises* its 3am lol i realize good, not cringy fluff is harder for me to write compared to smut 0...0

**Author's Note:**

> hi ;} this is my first story & it is a collab with my bestie ostrichboy on AO3 (or br0keny0uth on wattpad if yhu use that too). he's rlly cool and im glad he agreed to do this w/ me so Hiii from us!  
questions? pls comment any mistakes!  
\- slowbuuurn & ostrichboy


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